Discussion: Issue 14: Mission Architect - FAQ
By
8_Ball,
Posted on: 2009-02-26 13:02 in Developers' Corner
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Epic thread and epic details.
Question: Can we use contacts that aren't humanoid npcs, such as the radio, television?
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That was answered in the audio file, yes we can.
Although a follow up might be... can we have non-humanoid critters as enemies in the missions, like the Radio EB and the various turrets?
Always remember, we were Heroes.
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Epic thread and epic details.
Question: Can we use contacts that aren't humanoid npcs, such as the radio, television?
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That was answered in the audio file, yes we can.
Although a follow up might be... can we have non-humanoid critters as enemies in the missions, like the Radio EB and the various turrets?
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bahhh you question is more specifically what I was trying to say.
Blazara Aura LVL 50 Fire/Psi Dom (with 125% recharge)
Flameboxer Aura LVL 50 SS/Fire Brute
Ice 'Em Aura LVL 50 Ice Tank
Darq Widow Fortune LVL 50 Fortunata (200% rech/Night Widow 192.5% rech)--thanks issue 19!
Neat stuff! Let me try...
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Are there any context sensitive dialogue options available to us (different dialogue based on character gender, origin, badges, souvys, mission progress etc...)? Or if not, is it a possibility for later on?
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It will be somehting like this:
$name
$class
$origin
$supergroup
$level
$himher
$heshe
$hisher
Example:
Oh no! its the mighty $class $name! Get $himher before $heshe can stop us with $hisher powerful $origin abilities!
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This sounds like the system for in-mission dialog. Will it be possible to have contact dialog change more extensively based on these variables, the way the Origin of Power arc does?
Also, how will the MA system handle difficulty-scaled custom characters? Will a custom AV be scaled down to an EB if not at the maximum difficulty? Would a custom Boss become a Lt on the lowest difficulty setting?
Thanks for all the answers, pohsyb!
-D
Darkonne: Pinnacle's (unofficially) mighty Dark Miasma/Radiation Blast enthusiast!
Be sure to check out this mighty Arc:
#161865 - Aeon's Nemesis
I want....to marry....issue 14. Gonna be spending a lot of time in that architect development environment.
Ugh, for me wanting to be a game designer in the far off future, I'm gonna be getting some practice in with this baby
Can a "published" arc be edited by the owner? If so, does the arc's rating and status get reset? It would be frustrating to have a glaring tyop in the dialog and be unable to fix it without losing all the ratings. However it would also be bad to take down and significantly change a well-regarded arc without affecting its rep.
[SIZE=1][COLOR=Yellow][U]Virtue Heroes (Serenity's Children):[/U] [B]@Eek a Mouse, The Devil's Mark, Outlaw Sniper, Gas-Soaked Rag Man, Amazon Prime, Friday's Child, Hot Blooded,[/B][B]Flower of the Moon[/B], [B]Rouge Demon Hunter[/B], Stimulated Emission, Animatronic Wench, [B]Lennie Small[/B]
[U]Virtue Villains (Serenity's Orphans):[/U][/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=1][COLOR=Yellow] [/COLOR][/SIZE] [SIZE=1][COLOR=Yellow] [B]Eek a Rat[/B], [B]Bomb Blondeshell[/B], Babe Brute, Jeanne Dark, Fallen Angle[/COLOR][/SIZE]
When I read the article at lunch this after noon, I called my wife and told her "I think my head just exploded!"
The MA is an exciting addition to CoH.
However, one line in the description cut into my enthusiasm greatly, unless I'm misinterpreting:
"At the high level we allow you to create your own stories and share them with others in the game."
What does "At the high level" mean? I've been in CoH for 30 months, but I have severe altitis. My highest level character is 32. Is the MA level-gated? If I can't get in and start creating content at release, it will be a *major* disappointment. This is the update I've been looking forward to the most.
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How will level scaling work? Will every mission automatically scale to your current level (+ difficulty, team size, etc.) or will it be predetermined by the "architect"?
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This is complicated. Every critter has a level range where they are valid. When you make a mission, all of the level ranges must overlap at some point. If you are outside this level range when you go to play the mission you will be brought up or down to the level rang of the mission.
Example, I use critters A (1-54), B (34-45) and C (40-48). The level range of the mission is (40-45).
If I am level 5, I will play mission at level 40.
If I am level 50, I will play mission at level 45.
If I am level 42 I will play at level 42.
If I am level 5, but have set my difficulty to max, I will play at level 38.
Note: I said mission here, not arc, each mission has an independent level range.
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In Soviet Russia, mission's scale YOU!
Sorry, couldn't resist.
It's not how many times you get knocked down that count. It's how many times you get up.
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How will level scaling work? Will every mission automatically scale to your current level (+ difficulty, team size, etc.) or will it be predetermined by the "architect"?
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This is complicated. Every critter has a level range where they are valid. When you make a mission, all of the level ranges must overlap at some point. If you are outside this level range when you go to play the mission you will be brought up or down to the level rang of the mission.
Example, I use critters A (1-54), B (34-45) and C (40-48). The level range of the mission is (40-45).
If I am level 5, I will play mission at level 40.
If I am level 50, I will play mission at level 45.
If I am level 42 I will play at level 42.
If I am level 5, but have set my difficulty to max, I will play at level 38.
Note: I said mission here, not arc, each mission has an independent level range.
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But is it possible to get all your powers and slots at that level or will you have to play with your current powers and have weak ones?
Tempstra 50 Rad/Dark Defender/War'nt 50 Warshade/Heliosa 50 Fire/Rad Controller//Captain Blue Balls 50 Fire/Ice Blaster/Pinky Swear 50 Dark/Dark ScrapperMind Dreamer 50 Mind/Kinetics Controller/Rex Bubbles 50 Illusion/Forcefield Controller/Cool Wind 50 Ice/Storm Controller/Lil' Miss Dangerous 50 Gravity/Kinetics Controller/Observationist 50 Illusion/Empathy Controller/Kansas City Brawler 50 Stone/Fire Tank/Hades Exhibit One 50 Dark/Robots MM
Are the tickets that you get from playing an arc the same as the tickets that the creator gets from other people playing and ranking their arc?
If they are the same, that means that someone with a popular arc can make thousands of tickets without ever playing the game -- tickets that are valid to exchange for valuable items.
If they are different systems, that means we have yet *another* form of "currency" in the game: inf, prestige, vanguard merits, reward merits, player tickets, architect tickets.
[SIZE=1][COLOR=Yellow][U]Virtue Heroes (Serenity's Children):[/U] [B]@Eek a Mouse, The Devil's Mark, Outlaw Sniper, Gas-Soaked Rag Man, Amazon Prime, Friday's Child, Hot Blooded,[/B][B]Flower of the Moon[/B], [B]Rouge Demon Hunter[/B], Stimulated Emission, Animatronic Wench, [B]Lennie Small[/B]
[U]Virtue Villains (Serenity's Orphans):[/U][/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=1][COLOR=Yellow] [/COLOR][/SIZE] [SIZE=1][COLOR=Yellow] [B]Eek a Rat[/B], [B]Bomb Blondeshell[/B], Babe Brute, Jeanne Dark, Fallen Angle[/COLOR][/SIZE]
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When I read the article at lunch this after noon, I called my wife and told her "I think my head just exploded!"
The MA is an exciting addition to CoH.
However, one line in the description cut into my enthusiasm greatly, unless I'm misinterpreting:
"At the high level we allow you to create your own stories and share them with others in the game."
What does "At the high level" mean? I've been in CoH for 30 months, but I have severe altitis. My highest level character is 32. Is the MA level-gated? If I can't get in and start creating content at release, it will be a *major* disappointment. This is the update I've been looking forward to the most.
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He means "from a birds eye view" or "there's lots of stuff this lets you do, but it basically does this". It has nothing to do with "levels" in terms of RPG character progression.
EG: At a high level, a car moves you quickly.
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He means "from a birds eye view" or "there's lots of stuff this lets you do, but it basically does this". It has nothing to do with "levels" in terms of RPG character progression.
EG: At a high level, a car moves you quickly.
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That's what I was hoping he meant; it was just a little ambiguous, so I thought I'd go for clarification. 
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Can failed / successful mission arc in two different directions?
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Not at release.
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Hi pohsyb,
Not arc-ing specifically, but can we have different text (and souvenir) from the contact for failed missions? As in, if I fail the mission, the contact complains that I just destroyed a parallel universe, but the arc continues as normal (no "fork", just different text). That's something that has been present in the game for ages, so I'm wondering if it'll be possible.
Players' Choice Awards: Best Dual-Origin Level Range Arc!
It's a new era, the era of the Mission Architect. Can you save the Universe from...
The Invasion of the Bikini-clad Samurai Vampiresses from Outer Space? - Arc ID 61013
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Are the tickets that you get from playing an arc the same as the tickets that the creator gets from other people playing and ranking their arc?
If they are the same, that means that someone with a popular arc can make thousands of tickets without ever playing the game -- tickets that are valid to exchange for valuable items.
If they are different systems, that means we have yet *another* form of "currency" in the game: inf, prestige, vanguard merits, reward merits, player tickets, architect tickets.
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On the other hand, they get absolutely no rewards for the hours spent playing the game designing the mission in the first place so... *shrugs*
My guess is though that the Ticket rewards won't be as good as the Merit ones or at least won't be as efficiently priced.
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Epic thread and epic details.
Question: Can we use contacts that aren't humanoid npcs, such as the radio, television?
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I'm no Pohsyb, but in the Massively audio segment they specifically mentioned using the Radio as a contact (or using Television, or Slot Machine which to my knowledge isn't a normal contact!)
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The Slot Machine is, like the TV, an uncrackable contact. Requires the Marcone Boss family badge, 35-40, I think (or 30-35), and is found in the Golden Giza.
Very fun, worth getting the badge to run it.
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.
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Let me try again: Is the whole Mission Architect a big virtual reality?
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How about this: Crey and Dr. Aeon claim it is. [u]Crey[u] and [u]Dr. Aeon[u].
That leaves script openings big enough to drive Adamastor through.
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Which is business as usual, and the best way it could be. (It probably turns out that all arcades have massive boilers in the basement that seem to run to more than just a heating system as well. )
So far this sounds far more awesome than i had expected. Even what i've seen and read of the interface is is better than i'd hoped.
i've definitely got some story and mission ideas i can't wait to try. At least one will be an homage to P K Dick's writing inspired by novels of his like [u]VALIS[u], [u]Ubik[u] and [u]The Man in the High Castle[u] that play with the conceptual and philosophical implications of Architect arcades being more than just fancy holograms...
Dr. Todt's theme.
i make stuff...
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They can get even more detailed and create full enemy groups, giving each enemy unique costumes and powers.
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This brings up a question I've had for a while now, and I really hope to get a "Yes" on this:
Certan enemies perform a trick or power when defeated. Carnies have a PBAoE End Drain power they use. Some Council and Nemesis robots explode. Some Clockwork summon Gears when defeated. And some Council change into (summon) Warwolves when defeated.
Will we be able to add these abilities to an enemy group we make?
Example: Take a fairly large sized map. Put in a few spawns of a custom group which we'll call "Zombies". Nothing complex there. Now, fill the map with a second custom group, which we'll call "Civilians". Civilians are non-hostile, much like the ones in Mayhem/Safeguard missions, and can not be attacked by the player (Invalid Target). But Zombies attack Civilians and can kill them.
Can I give the Civilians group the "On Death" ability to change into (summon) a member of the Zombie group, so that it appears that the Zombies are infecting the Civilians?
"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
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"At the high level we allow you to create your own stories and share them with others in the game."
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What does "At the high level" mean?
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From the 20,000 ft view.... The overall arching vision... etc.
Just a figure of speech. He's not referring the character levels.
One question I have that I haven't seen answered:
If we get into an MA mission that turns out to be "Rescue the 25 Fusionette clones", can we abandon it as cleanly as we can an Ouroboros mission? Will we be able to just quit (and not get the shiny, of course), and not have to use Drop Mission, or have an uncompleted mission in our list?
Here are 2 more questions I have not seen yet.
First, can mob location within a map change from the standard. i.e. in many maps you know exactly where the mobs will be so play becomes very predictable.
This predictability is countered somewhat in the game by ambushes as well as patrols so my 2nd question is - does the editor allow you to add Ambushes and Patrols?
I'm a little... disheartened at the '1000+ votes at average 5 stars.'
This sounds very much like 'have fun with 3 arcs forever.' I mean, I think I can make some nice arcs, but getting 1000+ folks to vote 4-5 stars, and hope there aren't griefers or grumps dragging it down?
Sigh.
(Though I'm seriously stoked to see that enemy groups will have customizable appearance. This was my biggest concern. WOO!)
Can we use diffrent skeletons? Like the fire imps and corlax bodys?
I'm surprised no one has picked up on this:
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5. Can you talk more about Dev Choice vs. Hall of Fame?
...
3. We also have a third tier of stories which we will talk about at a later date.
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PURE BASELESS RAMPANT SPECULATION FOLLOWS (i.e. the usual)
Maybe some missions will be ... real? In some sense of the word or another. 
(84554) A Mid-Winter's Night Dream
(148487) Punk 'n' Pie
One Question: "WHEN?"
Currently we can save costumes for our regular characters, and load them when we begin a new toon if we really want all our characters to look the same. Will these saved costumes be portable to the MA, if some of us want to get started designing our armies of minions in advance?
Sweet!