konshu

I've never really liked hunt missions either, but I think at least part of that is because I don't like having hunt missions included with door missions as an obvious attempt to fill out the arc.

I'd rather have my story told entirely in instanced missions.

However, if I WAS to do outdoor, open zone missions, I'd like to have them structured in a way that makes sense and could be fun. Security Chiefs could give missions for variations on defeating X of foe group Y in district Z. This could possibly include defeats of mobs doing a specific activity, like Hellions who are purse snatching, Skulls breaking into cars, Circle kidnapping, Clockwork scavenging, or Trolls peddling Dyne (if the code can support it). The hunts could be complicated by responses from the foes, such as an ambush, and a sequence of hunts might conclude with a scanner-like door mission.

A completely separate sort of activity might be to look for and defeat certain mobs - or to locate and click certain glowies - that might unlock some sort of content.

For example, in Talos there is an antiquities dealer who keeps getting attacked by Tsoo. Well, if you find him and free him, he might become a contact and unlock an arc.

If you ask me, the whole notion of engaging the audience with storytelling vanished from the design before CoH was published. I think the notion was originally there, but it was cut and we've not seen hide nor hair of it since.

If you pick through the bones of the lore in the old zones, you'll find that someone was thinking about how and why things happened. For instance, there's Ingelbert Maahs, who became Igneous, the Magma Master, in the Cavern of Transcendence. There's the mysterious plot that led to The Hollowing, the questionable fate of Grendel, what I believe is the introduction of the Coralax long before CoV, and so on.

However, the storytelling aspects of the game design were insufficiently developed prior to publication, with too much emphasis being placed on large blocks of text in the mouths of contacts and tucked away in clues. Players on a team could not easily share in the storytelling process. Instead of an adventure game, what developed was an emphasis upon almost arcade-like action.

Now I think CoH has great action ... it's a strength of the game. But storytelling really should have been there too, and it's a shame the developers have looked the other way all these years and failed to improve upon that part of the gaming experience.

If you feel inclined, give my architect missions a shot. We've got the same limitations in AE storytelling that we have in the rest of the game, but I've tried to use what leverage I could to tell story in a way intended to make the story more accessible for teams and - hopefully - a step or two closer to being more immersive.

You can find my arcs listed under @Khonshu (different spelling from what I have as my forum name).

Well, if I can vote AGAINST, I'd vote against Panty and Pantsu. I can't see any self-respecting hoodlum following a leader named "Panty." Members of rival gangs would be calling them all sorts of names, many of them derived from feminine hygiene products.

Pantsu sounds like maybe it is a ninja panda or something.

I don't know if that's what people are thinking or not. For me the main issue is that we usually unlock features with content. Even capes, auras, and costume slots are unlocked with content.

So why not unlock the EATs and VEATs with content?

Actually, the subject matter of the Moonfire TF has much more to do with the Nictus than with Peacebringers. Since a Warshade is a "redeemed Nictus," it fits to award both PB and WS for Moonfire TF. (Or, it fits better to award WS instead of PB, but hey, we covered the PB angle with the badge. )

I've often seen the notion of unlocking Khelds used as an excuse for power leveling. IMO, the requirement for Kheldians should have been fixed back in 2005. I've advocated awarding kheldian ATs for the Moonfire TF since my first few months in the game.

I agree with you that automatically unlocking the epic ATs at level 20 seems particularly empty. Heck, even for capes you must do a special mission.

The likely counterpart for villains would be the Renault SF. Naturally it would fit better story-wise for Renault if the villain epics were Coralax, but at least Operative Renault is clearly an Arachnos agent.

For what it's worth, I think the Renault SF could be completely reconfigured to better favor the villain epic ATs. The Leviathan battle could be removed and used as the basis of a Trial or be folded into the Diviner Maros arc.

There's a lot that could be done in that area if the devs ever relax their policy on revamps.

Am I not allowed to say that?

I think it is relatively common for writers in a workshop to suggest to one another that characters, plots, subplots, themes, and even whole works be scrapped.

It's intended as a constructive opinion about the arc itself. And it is just an opinion. I don't pretend to speak for everyone, nor do I pretend to speak with false authority.

So ... scrap it or keep it. I've provided you with my view, but it's your choice.

That's an interesting thought, but as it exists now, rent goes up as you add stuff to your base. Not sure how we'd effectively pay in advance in that case.

However, anything that eases monthly trips to the SG/VG registrar would be great! I have umpteen bases I pay rent on, and I just wish I could use a cellphone or other similar mechanism.

I don't know what the pre-payment refers to. GR is the most logical thing, but what if it isn't that?

Would they be introducing a lifetime subscription option?

And if so, would that be a good model for the future of the game?

</e shrug>

Wow. Actual flames from people.

The first word in the title of the thread is "Rumor," so what are you doing wasting your time in the thread if you don't like rumors?

I wasn't at that event, but please feel free to construct whatever mental image suits you.

And no, I don't plan on divulging my sources, other than to say they were shadowy. It's a RUMOR.

Remember though ... today's rumors are next week's news.

My point is that with a humorous arc the player doesn't take the consequences of actions seriously ... in the same sense we don't take the violence in "Tom & Jerry" seriously.

Your arc lacked moral weight because of the way it was presented. It glossed over the weighty issues and spent more time on distractions and jokes. A Greek writer or stand up comic would have hammered at the issues till they bled. That's one of the reasons why I suggested you add more weighty material, such as having the player save political prisoners.

Having people risking their lives for Christmas ornaments and fruitcake is pretty lightweight; it smacks of cartoon logic.

Haven't you seen / read "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" or "A Christmas Carol" ...?

The whole point of the stories is that it isn't the stuff (of Christmas) that's important, it's the (Christmas) spirit.

If the people of the Rogue Isles wanted to celebrate their Christmas, they could have done it like the Whos in Whoville. They could gather, hold hands, and sing. No special Christmas stuff is required.

The main thrust of Scrooge's story, as well, is that we shouldn't get caught up in the spell cast by materialism, but should enjoy sharing our time, love, and happiness with others. The three spirits of Christmas came to Scrooge in his sleep to awaken his own Christmas spirit.

Your arc rather starkly breaks with the tradition, using the (heroic) player to fulfill a villain's wish to bring a cynical and material Christmas to the masses. That's one reason I was surprised and dissatisfied with it.

No, lol. Ramiel is not only serving himself, he is comically lost. In no way is he serving the greater good. He's the anti-Grinch, and instead of being spiritually redeemed through the events of the story, he uses materialism in a cynical attempt to corrupt the masses on their holy day.

What's worse is that the player must play along, trusting the author to provide a better (heroic) ending.

I disagree.

You just didn't write the story you thought you did. That's all. It happens, and it's not a big deal.

Scrap it and write another one.

I haven't played the arc introducing Ramiel, but I did pick up on the idea that Ramiel is supposed to get a pass from the player because he's supposed to go heroic at some point.

Probably after I put him in jail.

I'm not fishing.

The info was sketchy, hazy, incomplete. So it is classified as rumor.

But remember, today's rumors are next week's news.

I think.

First, let me clarify for the one or two people who might possibly read this, that we spoke via private message, and I asked you if there was anything in particular you wanted me to address or anything you wanted me to skip in my review. You told me you had no requests or proscriptions.

So I didn't address the "morality issue" because I found it hard to take the arc seriously. Until your rebuttal clarified the matter, I wasn't even sure YOU intended it to be taken seriously.

Humorous arcs don't have a morality.

Now that I see it was intended as a serious arc, I'm not entirely sure what to make of it.

As a player, I found the ethics sharply conflicted as I had to put on my cynical vigilante/secret agent hat to work so closely with a villain, but in order to have the "let's save Christmas!" idea be at all appealing, I had to put on my "head in the clouds, idealistic hero" hat. So for me that aspect of play was incompatible. As the gritty vigilante I could care less about saving a holiday, I'm concerned with justice and lives. And as the idealistic hero I would never further the plans of a villain. There is just no way I would help a villain conduct a publicity campaign designed to help him grow his forces.

In that sense, "The Christmas We Get" is one that should taste of ashes if we help Ramiel. I would have liked it better if I'd had some other option, where maybe I'd help Father Jack save Christmas and foil the plans of all the villains. Unfortunately, the way the arc is written, as players we can only take the mission that serves Ramiel or refuse to play.

For me, that breaks the arc. After batting the idiot ball around for a while the player finally gets smacked full on in the face with it. However, I take it that's how you intended the arc to go, so it works for you.

One thing this arc has in common with minimalist's arc is that it uses a villain as a contact for heroic missions. I think this is a very tricky thing to attempt, and as I see it both arcs failed to create a workable story because of it.

That is why I suggested you make Father Jack your contact, etc.

For what it's worth, I've heard your "Two Houses Divided" arc is pretty good. I'll give it a try.