Discussion: Issue 14: Mission Architect - FAQ
By
8_Ball,
Posted on: 2009-02-26 13:02 in Developers' Corner
Not sure if this was asked already, but here goes: Can we require prerequisites for our contacts? Namely, can i require Contact A's story arc be completed and souvenier obtained prior to starting Contact B's story arc? Also, what about badge requirements? Say, Bling needed before Contact C will speak to you. That sort of thing.
Check out my "Rule Britannia" series if you feel like something different. The arcs are #19599, #20575, #23977, #134775, #134923 and #144543. The series is complete, but spinoffs are in the works.
Ogon_Dark
[ QUOTE ]
Funny, the more you guys list of these (which if you read my original post, I clearly said was pretty much beside the point), the more obvious it is that they give out information that changes later all the time.
[/ QUOTE ]
And if you re-read my post you will remember my response that the reason they don't widely disperse the information is experience had shown us the huge amount of whine and tearing-of-hair that can result when they say one thing and have to go as different route for whatever reason.
You asked for examples.... any number of people beat me to a response and remembered even more instances than I alone would have. They answered your question.... how it applies to the rest of your post about the market doesn't matter because thats not the point they were responding to. They were answering your request for examples of when experience has shown us that the playerbase can be less than mature.
[ QUOTE ]
Funny, the more you guys list of these (which if you read my original post, I clearly said was pretty much beside the point), the more obvious it is that they give out information that changes later all the time.
[/ QUOTE ]
These are also bits of info they no longer give out, as in the past, the info changed... and the rednames pretty much got crucified or drawn & quartered by a quad core rig. Despite [ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
THIS IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME FOR ANY REASON INCLUDING FLUFFY GETTING A HAIRBALL
[/ QUOTE ]
[/ QUOTE ] type warnings.
I mean, common, the complaints & and even some vicious whining when we had an eagerly awaited event on a few hours early?
Orc&Pie No.53230 There is an orc, and somehow, he got a pie. And you are hungry.
www.repeat-offenders.net
Negaduck: I see you found the crumb. I knew you'd never notice the huge flag.
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Makes me a happy scrapper
Is there a limit to how many AVs/EBs can be in a mission?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes, the amount of spawn placements on the map.
[/ QUOTE ]
[/ QUOTE ]
The more people I meet, the more I'm beginning to root for the zombies.
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Makes me a happy scrapper
Is there a limit to how many AVs/EBs can be in a mission?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes, the amount of spawn placements on the map.
[/ QUOTE ]
[/ QUOTE ]
[/ QUOTE ]
That's pretty much the reaction I had, especially after some of the "planning" chat I have heard on VU2009 about making the ugliest, nastiest, pwnunoobs AVs/EBs possible with the intent of ganking players.
I'll be using "1-star" for "pwnunoobs lolstory" content, believe me.
Together we entered a city of strangers, we made it a city of friends, and we leave it a City of Heroes. - Sweet_Sarah
BOYCOTT NCSoft (on Facebook)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/517513781597443/
Governments have fallen to the power of social media. Gaming companies can too.
Will we be able to use things like "put out fire" [as in Steel Canyon] or "stop the arson" [as in Safeguards]?
Will players have to complete arcs before they are able to rate them (please, please, to make it harder to grief or game the system).
Together we entered a city of strangers, we made it a city of friends, and we leave it a City of Heroes. - Sweet_Sarah
BOYCOTT NCSoft (on Facebook)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/517513781597443/
Governments have fallen to the power of social media. Gaming companies can too.
[ QUOTE ]
I don't think they've said outright if we'll be able to or not. They have said we can purchase a Lord Recluse with a different powerset. So my assumption would be that we'll get the regular Recluse for free.
[/ QUOTE ]
Ok, that's what I was wondering. It would be nice to keep a mission hanging around to showcase things like Recluse to any friends who may try City of Heroes, and to show them how awesome the MA is. 
[ QUOTE ]
Will players have to complete arcs before they are able to rate them (please, please, to make it harder to grief or game the system).
[/ QUOTE ]
If they have to complete them before rating them, how do they give low ratings to ones that can't be beaten?
(See your previous post for an example of when they'd want to do this.)
"I do so love taking a nice, well thought out character and putting them through hell. It's like tossing a Faberge Egg onto the stage during a Gallagher concert." - me
@Palador / @Rabid Unicorn
[ QUOTE ]
2) Are you going to be correcting for weird human behavior like people who only give the minimum or maximum value, never give ratings above or below the midpoint, or rate every single arc the exact same value?
Not yet.
[/ QUOTE ]
I work as a computer trainer and get rated by my students on a 1-9 scale everyday. I can honestly say that over my career I've been rated by thousands of people, and have maintained an overall average of just over 8.4. My point is that yes... you will get the occasional person that only gives a median value ever... and they are infuriating, hehe. But over all if you do a good job people will recognize you for it.
From the FAQ:
[ QUOTE ]
We have language filters that check for bad words and wont let you publish them until you remove them.
[/ QUOTE ]
Can we please get a list of the "bad words"? I know that stuff like cursing will be out, that's obvious. But what else? Some of us folks might want to take advantage of the game's rating and make stories that have slightly darker elements. I'd hate to waste time writing a story that ultimately cannot be published because a particular criminal action is considered a "bad word", for instance.
Thanks,
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I just have a couple quick question. I know Castle had mentioned earlier (some weeks prior to today) that some powers wouldn't be available, such as SoA and Kheldian powersets... however the Massively article has this as a bulletpoint:
[ QUOTE ]
Give enemies any powers you want. (Emphasis added)
[/ QUOTE ]
Has the position stated by Castle earlier changed? Or are Kheldian powersets still unavailable for custom minions? Is there any chance, if they are NOT being included now, that they WILL be included reasonably soon in the future? One of my arc ideas necessitates access to the Warshade powersets.
(*hopes that they WILL be available!*)
[/ QUOTE ]
This is a bit misleading. You can chose 2 powersets that include almost all powersets available to players, but you can mix-match them in ways not available to players. (Ex: Fire Blast + Invulnerability ).
Not as great of a bullet point, I know. We would love to expand this system further, but we cannot by release.
[/ QUOTE ]
I couldn't find if this was answered (or asked at some point), but will these 2 powersets be modified to have ranged and melee? From what I see in the game, every mob is given at least one ranged and one melee attack to prevent players from staying at range and defeating them safely. However, some sets, say Dual Blades for example, doesn't have a ranged attack. Are there pool-like sets we choose from for a ranged attack - like shuriken from weapon mastery?
[ QUOTE ]
Will we be able to use things like "put out fire" [as in Steel Canyon] or "stop the arson" [as in Safeguards]?
[/ QUOTE ]Well the Steel Canyon fires are just enemies that can only be defeated with fire extinguishers or Cold powers; if you can spawn a Fire enemy, you could make defeating them an objective, I suppose.
The arson side mission is just a glowie click, really.
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/36641/My-Little-Exalt
[ QUOTE ]
From the FAQ:
[ QUOTE ]
We have language filters that check for bad words and wont let you publish them until you remove them.
[/ QUOTE ]
Can we please get a list of the "bad words"? I know that stuff like cursing will be out, that's obvious.
[/ QUOTE ]If I had to guess (and I do), I'd say the language filter that's already in the game. For obvious reasons, I can't post the full list here, and not only because it's extremely long.
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/36641/My-Little-Exalt
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Makes me a happy scrapper
Is there a limit to how many AVs/EBs can be in a mission?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes, the amount of spawn placements on the map.
[/ QUOTE ]
[/ QUOTE ]
[/ QUOTE ]
That's pretty much the reaction I had, especially after some of the "planning" chat I have heard on VU2009 about making the ugliest, nastiest, pwnunoobs AVs/EBs possible with the intent of ganking players.
I'll be using "1-star" for "pwnunoobs lolstory" content, believe me.
[/ QUOTE ]whats wrong with me being an AV?
Looking better all the time but I didn't see an answer on the statement below. (I could have missed it, lots of posts!)
At what level s the MA useable?
[ QUOTE ]
[b]City of Heroes
Issue 14: Architect
snip......
At the high level we allow you to create your own stories and share them with others in the game.
snip.......
[/ QUOTE ]
(Yes, not everyone has a level 50. I played too many other games over the years!)
[ QUOTE ]
At what level s the MA useable?
[/ QUOTE ]
From levels 1-50.
[ QUOTE ]
Looking better all the time but I didn't see an answer on the statement below. (I could have missed it, lots of posts!)
At what level s the MA useable?
[ QUOTE ]
City of Heroes
Issue 14: Architect
snip......
At the high level we allow you to create your own stories and share them with others in the game.
snip.......
[/ QUOTE ]
(Yes, not everyone has a level 50. I played too many other games over the years!)
[/ QUOTE ]"High level" of the concept, not the character.
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/36641/My-Little-Exalt
[ QUOTE ]
That's pretty much the reaction I had, especially after some of the "planning" chat I have heard on VU2009 about making the ugliest, nastiest, pwnunoobs AVs/EBs possible with the intent of ganking players.
I'll be using "1-star" for "pwnunoobs lolstory" content, believe me.
[/ QUOTE ]
Eh. I dunno... personally, I think that making horrible, horrible missions for the sole purpose of mauling players is a good stress-test for the system (assuming you're up-front about it, of course... my first mission set is going to be called 'The Meat Grinder', assuming I can snag the name first).
Easier to learn what the MA can do by pushing its limits until you find out what it can't do.
Honestly, if you're having fun, why not?
... and for the record, once I've figured out what my limits are with the mechanics, then I'll start figuring out what sort of stories I can tell (and yes, I've got a few).
"A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head." Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pirates
MA Arcs: #12285, "Small Fears", #106553, "Trollbane", #12669, "How to Survive a Robot Uprising"
I am looking forward to player created missions and archs with a high difficulty factor. Call me weird but I know I will enjoy playing through( or just attempting ) the "pwnunoobs" type of content.
No I am not a masochist but one can only run RSF soooo many times before it loses the fun factor.
I think I speak for many veteran players in saying there isnt alot left in the game thats much of a challenge anymore. I am not knocking current content. Just saying I look forward to some new and fun challenges. 
The HARDER the better!!!
MA looks full of awesome. 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Will players have to complete arcs before they are able to rate them (please, please, to make it harder to grief or game the system).
[/ QUOTE ]
If they have to complete them before rating them, how do they give low ratings to ones that can't be beaten?
(See your previous post for an example of when they'd want to do this.)
[/ QUOTE ]Or even just a "Rescue all 25 Fusionette clones". No, we have to be able to rate crappy ones without having to complete them.
[ QUOTE ]
From the FAQ:
[ QUOTE ]
We have language filters that check for bad words and wont let you publish them until you remove them.
[/ QUOTE ]
Can we please get a list of the "bad words"? I know that stuff like cursing will be out, that's obvious. But what else? Some of us folks might want to take advantage of the game's rating and make stories that have slightly darker elements. I'd hate to waste time writing a story that ultimately cannot be published because a particular criminal action is considered a "bad word", for instance.
Thanks,
[/ QUOTE ]Given how versatile the English language is, it can't be that hard to find an acceptable synonym or euphemism. And if you can't come up with something that'll pass the filters, maybe it doesn't belong in a "T"-rated game?
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I may have missed it.
I know we'll be able to play MS arcs co-op.
Will we also be able to simply play cross faction?
That is, will Heros be able to play Villain stories without having to team with Villains, and vice versa?
[/ QUOTE ]Yes
[/ QUOTE ]Obviously I did miss it. Where is that? (I'm compiling all the redname answers for my personal reference.)
Thank you.
[/ QUOTE ]
I know I saw it in the info from HeroCon (ImpulseKing's Guide). I can't remember if it was mentioned in the tsunami of info we got yesterday.
[/ QUOTE ]Thanks.
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Ok, dumb question (forgive me if this has been asked before):
Are all the mission arcs that are "published" going to be available to the entire community or will you be able to create mission arcs that are more isolated (for SG events, RP stories, etc)?
[/ QUOTE ]
It might be cool to have a fourth slot that's "Supergroup-Only." Still gives tickets and XP, but it has no way to rate it or get ratings from tickets, and only members of your Supergroup (or Supergroups in Alliance with yours) can see it. For the whole "running a full campaign" thing that might be too idiosyncratic for the regular.
But then, it sounds like you can unpublish one of your regular 3 arcs, publish your SG-only arc, let the group leader select the mission and launch it, unpublish your arc and republish your regular one, and your supergroup will be able to play the arc through with rewards even though it's unpublished. Which is likely how I'll do "regular tuesday group RP" stuff.
[/ QUOTE ]
Even easier than that, as long as you're on the team, you should be able to select your own unpublished arcs, from what I've heard, to play through.
Liberty
My 50s:
Hero: Armor Assassin (scrapper), Cross Dresser (scrapper), Surly Seaman (blaster), Defensive End (Tank), Rad Rhino (Cont)
Villain: Beast Infection (Corr), Sweet Zombie Jesus (MM), Milk Weasel (Stalker), Orgullo (MM), Agent Eris (Crab)
Here's a question:
If we own the Cyborg pack, will we be able to give custom enemies the Self Destruct temp power?
*evil grin*
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I may have missed it.
I know we'll be able to play MS arcs co-op.
Will we also be able to simply play cross faction?
That is, will Heros be able to play Villain stories without having to team with Villains, and vice versa?
[/ QUOTE ]Yes
[/ QUOTE ]Obviously I did miss it. Where is that? (I'm compiling all the redname answers for my personal reference.)
Thank you.
[/ QUOTE ]
I know I saw it in the info from HeroCon (ImpulseKing's Guide). I can't remember if it was mentioned in the tsunami of info we got yesterday.