Arc 17032: "Adventures of the Space Marines"
By
DKellis,
Posted on: 2009-03-27 21:54 in Mission Architect
Republished "Adventures of the Space Marines". The arc number is now 17421.
Changes made in latest update:
*Based on some feedback, I decided to change a powerset of the enemies in the third and fourth mission
*Added a bio to Captain Batalia
*Downgraded Captain Batalia from an AV/EB to an EB.
Changes I intend to implement when i14 goes live:
*Tone down the unimportant NPC chatter in missions 1, 2, and 5.
*Reduce the number of ally patrols and eliminate the enemy patrols in mission 5.
*Possibly downgrade Captain Batalia even further to a boss.
One thing I would really like to hear from anyone who decides to run this arc, is the final boss too easy, too hard, or just right? (And what difficulty did you run it on, with what kind of toon?) Thanks!
Hope ya'll enjoy it!
Republished the arc again, the arc number is now 18244
Changes made in the last update:
*Based on some feedback, downgraded bugs from lieutenants to minions
*Reduced npc chatter in the first mission
*Reduced the number of patrols in the 5th mission and changed their locations
*Added some triggered patrols in the 4th mission
*Based on some feedback, changed the second ambush during the final boss encounter
Hopefully the changes will make the arc more enjoyable!
Hey, I want to thank everyone whose tested "Adventures of the Space Marines" over the last few days and offered feedback. It has helped me improve this arc tremendously. Now, I feel its at the point where its really cool and not much more could be done with it.
Besides, I'm at 99.9% of the allowable save space now. 
Keep an eye out for "Adventures of the Space Marines 2", coming soon (as in a few minutes! 
)
Just discovered I could edit the arc without unpublishing it! Sweet! 
Changes made in the last update:
*Changed the planet's name from Phobos to Pholos. Huge change, to be sure.
*"Emperess" is now "Empress".
*Changed the egg at the end of mission 4 to a coccoon, due to the removal of the egg object by the devs.
*Added a little more detail to the Empress's description.
* Caved in to popular demand. Changed mission 4 so players can rescue the resistance fighters on their way to the ??? object.
*As a result, the Queen now spawns off the ??? instead of the resistance fighters.
*Added an additional Simizam patrol in the final mission.
*Replaced the fist icon on the Space Marines with the "stealth" chest detail.
Thanks again to everyone whose provided feedback.
Just made another change:
*Changed the map in the third mission from Caves Smooth-Large-1 to Arachnoid Tech-Large-10
This map gives the third mission more atmosphere.
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*Changed the planet's name from Phobos to Pholos. Huge change, to be sure.
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Styrjaxes still claim to be from Phobos in their descriptions.
Current main:
Schrodinger's Gun, Dual Pistols/Mental Blaster, Virtue
Avatar: Becky Miyamoto from Pani Poni Dash. Roulette roulette~
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*Changed the planet's name from Phobos to Pholos. Huge change, to be sure.
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Styrjaxes still claim to be from Phobos in their descriptions.
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>.<
Darn bugs, always claiming to be from where they're not! 
Thanks.
Final update before live.
Changes made:
*Found and corrected another "Phobos"
*Removed Full Auto and Ignite from Captain Batalia's attacks
This arc is now published on live, the ID number is 2133.
So far the feedback I've been getting has been positive and I'm people have been enjoying the arc! I ran it with an 8-man team on invincible earlier and had a blast! (Though I would recommend having at least one debuffer for such a set-up )
I made yet another tweak to the arc, based on some feedback I had recieved yesterday and the mysterious appearance of more available space than I had on test.
Change made:
*Added a lieutenant mob to the Stryjax faction.
Just updated this arc, yet again.
Changes made:
*Added descriptions for the Empress's Psychic Guards
*Removed the Simizam Defender Mob
*Changed the name of the "Sgt. Crackers" mob to "Simizam Guerilla"
*Changed the Simizam hostages and the Simizam patrols in missions 4 and 5 to "Simizam Guerilla" mobs.
*Named the ally "Simizam Guerilla" in missions 2, 3, and 4 to "Sgt. Crackers".
*All that tinkering with the Simizams freed up some space for the addition of a new Alkanis boss mob; the Alkanis faction should give teams a greater challenge now.
Aaaaand another update:
Changes made:
*Changed the map in the third mission from arachnoid tech --- large--- 10 to arachnoid tech --- small --- 14.
*Decreased the number of patrols in the third mission from 8 to 4 to account for the new map size.
Just played it this morning - I think this is the best arc I've played so far, and I didn't expect to like it 'cause I'm not a huge fan of hard sci-fi. What struck me right off the bat was your clever usage of chaining mission objectives in the first mission - I thought it was a brilliant use for that, and I haven't seen anything similar yet in other arcs (though I'll be sure to steal the idea at my earliest convenience).
Good plot, excellent use of maps (though it's a shame there isn't a smaller version of that office map), and one of the more challenging boss fights at the end of the last mission I've encountered (if it weren't for those elevators I would have definitely died).
BTW, those Willpower bugs are nastier than the Freakshow, 'caue they rez every single time. They go down pretty fast, though.
My only complaint is that I wanted some Simizans and Space Marines to help me out in the last mission, similar to how you had it set up in the first one. Having 12 canon fodder dudes following me, blasting away an EB just felt so damn awesome.
Twelve thumbs up.
bababadalgharaghtakamminarronnkonnbronntonner-
ronntuonnthunntrovarrhounawnskawntoohoohoordenenth ur-
nuk!
Hey, thanks for the kind words!
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My only complaint is that I wanted some Simizans and Space Marines to help me out in the last mission, similar to how you had it set up in the first one. Having 12 canon fodder dudes following me, blasting away an EB just felt so damn awesome.
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Hmm... I'll see what I can do.
I think I'ma run this again tonight >_< it was fun the first time, and the changes sound decent.
A Warrior's Friend: ID 335212 - Help Infernal save Valkyrie from Battle Maiden.
Above Mars Part 1: The Wellington: ID 159769 - Save Mars by destroying a monstrous battleship from the inside!
>.> My DA page, where I attempt to art.
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Hey, thanks for the kind words!
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My only complaint is that I wanted some Simizans and Space Marines to help me out in the last mission, similar to how you had it set up in the first one. Having 12 canon fodder dudes following me, blasting away an EB just felt so damn awesome.
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Hmm... I'll see what I can do.
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Alright, I looked into it. Unfortunately, the map I used in the final mission (and a map I'm rather attached to for that finale) allows 19 ambush, patrol, boss, and destroy stuff events and a bunch of collections, but only one "any detail", which I use to give the player the captain as an ally for the final boss. Unfortunately, that means I cannot insert of squad of Space Marines for the player to lead in that final mission. 
Edit: I could add 56 glowies if ya'll want.
Yeah, I don't think anyone'd like that, call it a hunch.
Hey, I just want to say I'm glad that people are enjoying the arc! I've been getting back a lot of positive comments, especially on the first mission and the final boss fight.
Minor Update
Changes Made:
*Added a little more info to the Stryjax and Shock Trooper mobs' bios.
I'll be making a guide on how to do missions similar to the first one in the arc for those not in-the-know soon.
Did this thing disappear again? Wanted to show it to someone on a trial account and I could only find part 2.
bababadalgharaghtakamminarronnkonnbronntonner-
ronntuonnthunntrovarrhounawnskawntoohoohoordenenth ur-
nuk!
Because I couldn't find the old "Adventures of the Space Marines 2" thread...
Made some fixes to Adventures of the Space Marines 2. Apparently some bugs appeared while I was away from the game.
*Fixed the escort in the first mission so it no longer auto completes on phase 2.
*The civilian patrol routes in the second mission were removed so NPCs will no longer occasionally complete tasks for the player. The routes were replaced with static positions. Some dialogue was also added.
*reduced the number of ne'er-do-wells attacking Jer'i's storage vehical in the second mission.
*reduced the number of generators needing to be saved in the 3rd mission
*reduced the number of space pirate patrols in the 3rd mission and set them to spawn only after the generators have been saved
*Reduced the offensive and defensive capabilities of Captain Drakeson.
*Reduced the defensive capabilities of the final boss.
*Reduced the difficulty of the Captain Drakeson boss encounter.
*it is no longer necessary to protect the generators in the 3rd mission
Made some changes to "Adventures of the Space Marines" 1.
*Nerfed the Unstoppable Monster in the first mission.
*Nerfed Empress Dominia
*Added a lieutenant to the Alkanis enemy group.
*Added a boss to the Stryjax enemy group.
As soon as I can avoid being disconnected every other minute, I intend to do a major overhaul of the first two missions in ASM 2, and a minor addition in the 3rd mission.
Edit: ugh, these constant disconnects whenever I try to edit something, combined with long load times, is preventing me from making the changes I want. Ah well. At least I fixed the problem in the second mission where the npcs would sometimes accidentally do the mission for the players.
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Adventures of the Space Marines
Arc ID: 17032
Length: Very Long (5 Missions. Estimated 1-2 Hours)
Morality: Neutral
Plot: The evil Alkanis Empire lead by the space tyrant, Emperess Dominia, has invaded the planet Phobos and subjugated the peace-loving Simizams. Its up to the Space Marines, valiant protectors of the galaxy, to liberate the Simizams and thwart the Emperess's malevolent ambitions! Are -you- tough enough to hang with the space marines?
Author: @Epoch6 (Test Server), @Flying Carcass (Live Servers)
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Hey all, I just completed my second mission architect story arc. "Adventures of the Space Marines" is a sci-fi epic which pits your character in the fight against an evil space empire. Fight alongside the space marines and liberate Phobos! Overall I'm pretty happy with how the adventure turned out, though I think I'll tune down some of the unimportant npc chatter in the first, second, and last mission before i14 goes live.
I would love to get some feedback.