Mission Architect: Player Guides!

Post your Mission Architect related guides here, OP will be updated on regular basis to reflect most current information.

Ex

Subversion and You: The Architect's Best Friend. A guide to using version control software to track your Mission Architect files, keep historical records, and see changes between different versions of them.

(Not sure if you just wanted the URL or a brief description, but there you go ).

The best place to find everything MA related on the Wiki is to go to:

http://wiki.cohtitan.com/wiki/Catego...sion_Architect

And you'll see every page flagged with the "Mission Architect" tag.

There are already some guides there: Memphis_Bill's Tutorial; Dispari's Guide on Custom Units; and Hero 1's walkthrough which is the in-game text of the Mission Architect Instructor.

Not sure if this fits better here or in player resources.

I have thrown together a template that can be used to write out arcs in Word.

Here's the link:

LD's MA Writing Template

MA Playable Quick-Start Tutorial (Arc ID#28470)

Want to dive right in and get a feel for all that the Architect Entertainment and Mission Architect has to offer? Got 15-30 minutes? Then I've got the Story Arc for you!

#28470 Knowledge Is Power - Architect Entertainment & YOU! A Quick-Start Tutorial

Let a S.E.R.V.E. Representative walk you through the basics of what you can and can't earn by playing missions, whether regular AE missions, Dev's Choice or Hall of Fame. Then, she'll briefly show you some expert tips on how to work with the Mission Architect constraints to build your own mission.

At the end, you'll be presented with a handy-dandy list of tips readily available under your Architect Souvenirs. This list is repeated in the forum for easy of reading/printing, along with a list of all the other tips in the Tutorial.

A guide to writing story based arcs

Non-technical, focusing on what elements to add and what is important. General advice.

a guide to fleshing out bases in MA

non-technical mostly (although it lists animations).
ideas on encounters and details to put in a villain base, to give it flavor and to make it seem like a real headquarters and not just another abandoned warehouse.

Post your Mission Architect related guides here, the original post will be updated on regular basis to reflect most current information.

Okay, as there's nothing else here yet, can I quickly point out that there are three Mission architect guides on Paragon Wiki:

Paragon Wiki Mission Architect
Paragon Wiki Mission architect Files
Paragon Wiki Custom Units

Hope this helps someone

I'm no guru. I'm struggling with my own arc as I write this, but...

Here are some guides to the 3-act storywriting structure. This is obviously not strict, but is a very useful guide if you're struggling.

Three act structure in simple terms.
The three act structure in a little more detail and with examples.

Alternatively, you might like to take into account the Proppian analysis of Russian folk tales in which he identifies common elements.

I hope this is useful.

Map Samples posted by Damz

Due to popular demand, let's add the City of Guides in this thread.

[ QUOTE ]
City of Guides has got a fledgling resource that could prove very helpful for those trying to find good solid storyarcs and missions among the weight of arcs still being tested/refined.

One of the key features (so far) is that the arcs can be publicly reviewed and marked if they have EB's/AV's in them.

[/ QUOTE ]

Website URL: City of Guides

Original thread: http://uk.boards.cityofheroes.com/sh...Number=1343077

Not a guide, but could we include:

MA: Help Snippets, Tips and Tricks

I'd hate for it to be eventually lost to obscurity.

[ QUOTE ]
Not a guide, but could we include:

MA: Help Snippets, Tips and Tricks

I'd hate for it to be eventually lost to obscurity.

[/ QUOTE ]
I was just coming here to post that myself!

BTW - I didn't know your latest tip about multiple objectives grouping if the descriptions are the same... thinking you couldn't group multiple objectives was bugging me! Thanks.

I found this amazing site with sciptwriting links.

Nice little guide on the US forums: A guide to making story arcs.

[ QUOTE ]
Not a guide, but could we include:

MA: Help Snippets, Tips and Tricks

I'd hate for it to be eventually lost to obscurity.

[/ QUOTE ]

WOW THANKS!!!!

I can test my 2nd mission without playing through the 1st!

Mission Architect for Tickets and XP: I16 Compliance

<《 New Colchis / Guides / Mission Architect 》>
"At what point do we say, 'You're mucking with our myths'?" - Harlan Ellison

Hmmm, it seems every resource in this thread is "page not found". Is it me or is it the system?

A combination of forum purges and the forum migration seem to have removed a number of these resources.

Others seem to have simply vanished mysteriously. At any rate:

Mission Architect for Tickets and XP: I16 Compliance

<《 New Colchis / Guides / Mission Architect 》>
"At what point do we say, 'You're mucking with our myths'?" - Harlan Ellison