... I'm not saying it's a bad thing.
I guess my only reason at this point for not doing it is ego. It sounds very self-serving to me.
[ QUOTE ]
I don't have to worry about my queue being large - I've noticed that after I called Vandem's arc a pile of self-indulgent [censored] people have been quietly reluctant to actually ask my opinion on things.
[/ QUOTE ]
Well, I don't know about self-indulgent, but pile of bull-[censored] would fit my arc rather well. 
29973
"The Running of the Bulls"
A shameless, goofy, totally unapologetic attempt to cram as many gawd-awful cow puns into a story arc as the 100k limit will possibly allow. And yet it has an actual story which can be (hopefully) enjoyed which ties it all together.
Keep that in mind and please give it a run.
[ QUOTE ]
What that convinces me is that the rating system is completely useless for naturally supporting good arcs, since there is a lot of [censored] that's high-rated, and even DC'd or HoF'd. What is important in getting yourself at the top of the ladder, getting badges and tickets and a big fat ego, is just how shameless you want to be in pimping your arc to people.
I may just be in a bad mood right now.
[/ QUOTE ]
Youre not. Youre absolutely correct.
There are 3 DC arcs that should be drug out into the back yard, thrown into a pit, doused in gasoline, set on fire, covered in lime, buried, and have the ground above them tilled with salt. The only thing I can think of to explain their being in the DC Club is nepotism, gambling debts, or an exchange of sexual favors. 
And the pimping part, yeah. I HATE that aspect of this whole thing. I want to be a SUPERHERO, not some ad executive of a movie company. (Quite aside from the fact that Im not very good at it.)
"OK, first of all... Shut Up." - My 13-Year-Old Daughter
29973 "The Running of the Bulls" [SFMA] - WINNER of the Mighty Big Story Arc Contest !
- The Stellar Wind Orbital Space Platform
[ QUOTE ]
I guess my only reason at this point for not doing it is ego. It sounds very self-serving to me.
[/ QUOTE ]
Well I'm happy that your free time is worth less to you than mine is. Forbid that someone ask for a little something in return, but that makes them egotistical apparently.
I would be interested in feedback on my arc. Thanks in advance for the input.
Arc Name: Kung Fu on the Loose
Arc ID: 77533
Length: Medium (2 outdoor maps)
Mission Count: two
Morality: Villainous
Genre: Fun
Description: You once again find yourself watching television. The new HD signal looks spectacular. As you reach for the remote control, there is a bright FLASH in front of your eyes . . . Find out what happens next!
Similar in tone to the Television story arcs in CoV. One EB at the end of mission 2. Only custom critters in the missions. Level 45+.
Go Team Venture!
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I guess my only reason at this point for not doing it is ego. It sounds very self-serving to me.
[/ QUOTE ]
Well I'm happy that your free time is worth less to you than mine is. Forbid that someone ask for a little something in return, but that makes them egotistical apparently.
[/ QUOTE ]You just love your misinterpretation.
The only reason I DO NOT DO THE SAME THING is my OWN ego.
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I guess my only reason at this point for not doing it is ego. It sounds very self-serving to me.
[/ QUOTE ]
Well I'm happy that your free time is worth less to you than mine is. Forbid that someone ask for a little something in return, but that makes them egotistical apparently.
[/ QUOTE ]You just love your misinterpretation.
The only reason I DO NOT DO THE SAME THING is my OWN ego.
[/ QUOTE ]
It, of course, is blatantly and honestly self-serving. I do not know if it is necessary to ask for others to review your arcs as a reviewer, since the mere act of having a review thread helps give you visibility (although I recommend you put your arc in your sig, promotion is not wrong).
Why Blasters? Empathy Sucks.
So, you want to be Mental?
What the hell? Let's buff defenders.
Tactics are for those who do not have a big enough hammer. Wisdom is knowing how big your hammer is.
I know. I'd like to think that because the writing in my arc is about twice as good as all but the very best stuff I've seen in the MA, it shouldn't need it. But alas, it does. And that's where the ego kicks in.
My review thread has been marked "quid pro quo", which isn't language I would've used, but in fairness is pretty much accurate.
Quite honestly, my inspiration for starting a review thread is the Dev's Choice: Becoming the Chosen One! post, which says:
[ QUOTE ]
But to give you some guidelines of things that can help you get noticed, we recommend the following:
* Get people to play your story offer to play their story in exchange.
* Humbly solicit feedback and implement changes based off of what other players are saying about your content.
* Play, rate and comment on others stories, this helps build a community of authors.
[/ QUOTE ]
I definitely hoped to promote my arcs enough to be considered for Dev Choice, and so my motivation for starting a review thread was essentially self-serving; I figured that a review exchange thread would accomplish all 3 of the above points simultaneously. I did set the ground rules for my thread that I'd ask them to play my arc in return for my playing through and reviewing theirs; I hoped this would both increase the visibility of my story arcs, and throttle down the number of review requests I get (since I could already see the other reviewers were prone to getting swamped by review requests). I don't think it's any different than the countless people who arrange "Do my arc, I'll do yours" trades; but yeah, it's still self-serving.
Over the course of doing twenty or so reviews, though, I've found that my review style has gradually morphed away from simple play-throughs and more towards brainstorming sessions about how each author can make their story arc more cool. Even for the arcs I give the lowest ratings (in fact, especially for these), I try and offer as many suggestions as I can to try and make it a better story. I actually hope my comments will help the author improve their story arc, and increase the number of good stories that are out there to play. This may all be a rationalization on my part, but it's my hope that I'm providing a useful service to the Mission Architect community as a whole.
I feel it's worth stating that my ground rules don't require someone to play my arc before I'll play theirs, but do state that I'll give higher priority to people who do.
So far, my "higher priority" queue has never been empty. But on the flip side, my queue has never been completely overwhelmed, either.
So from my point of view, this arrangement has been working out pretty well.
@PW - Police Woman (50 AR/dev blaster on Liberty)
TALOS - PW war journal - alternate contact tree using MA story arcs
=VICE= "Give me Liberty, or give me debt!"
[ QUOTE ]
It, of course, is blatantly and honestly self-serving. I do not know if it is necessary to ask for others to review your arcs as a reviewer, since the mere act of having a review thread helps give you visibility (although I recommend you put your arc in your sig, promotion is not wrong).
[/ QUOTE ]
So you would think, but the reality is quite different. Many people just want it for free and submit to every thread they can find. This rule keeps out the freeloaders.
[ QUOTE ]
I know. I'd like to think that because the writing in my arc is about twice as good as all but the very best stuff I've seen in the MA, it shouldn't need it. But alas, it does. And that's where the ego kicks in.
[/ QUOTE ]
I've seen your writing. Your ego is quite possibly correct.
... it still needs a good deflating now and again, but... yeah. 
"City of Heroes. April 27, 2004 - August 31, 2012. Obliterated not with a weapon of mass destruction, not by an all-powerful supervillain... but by a cold-hearted and cowardly corporate suck-up."
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I know. I'd like to think that because the writing in my arc is about twice as good as all but the very best stuff I've seen in the MA, it shouldn't need it. But alas, it does. And that's where the ego kicks in.
[/ QUOTE ]
I've seen your writing. Your ego is quite possibly correct.
... it still needs a good deflating now and again, but... yeah.
[/ QUOTE ]That's because there are moments I transcend the line between 'I am a better writer than this person' and into 'I am a better person than this person.'
Arc Name: The Revenge of Dr. Marcovici
Arc ID: 161797
Faction: Heroic
Difficulty Level: Average. One Elite Boss, but he is set to standard difficulty.
Synopsis: This is a story driven arc with a unique twist to it.
Halfway through the arc you have to make a decision on what your next action will be. Depending on your decision the arc plays out very differently for each of the 2 choices you have.
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I know. I'd like to think that because the writing in my arc is about twice as good as all but the very best stuff I've seen in the MA, it shouldn't need it. But alas, it does. And that's where the ego kicks in.
[/ QUOTE ]
I've seen your writing. Your ego is quite possibly correct.
... it still needs a good deflating now and again, but... yeah.
[/ QUOTE ]That's because there are moments I transcend the line between 'I am a better writer than this person' and into 'I am a better person than this person.'
[/ QUOTE ]
Ennnh. Based on the types of people I've been running into lately (most notably in the Developer section, thankfully NOT the Developers... yet...) this could very well be true, too.
Or, we're just too old for this crowd.
Gorram kids, GET OFFA MAH LAWN! /em fistshake
"City of Heroes. April 27, 2004 - August 31, 2012. Obliterated not with a weapon of mass destruction, not by an all-powerful supervillain... but by a cold-hearted and cowardly corporate suck-up."
Going through the thread, refreshing my list, gunna sit down and get some of these reviews out shorlty.
well, add me to your list if you have not already...
Do YOU have nightmares about the Vahzilok? Can't sleep because you failed to defeat that Boss over and over again? Do you let your teammates down because you run away from Malta sappers? Do clowns make you have an anxiety attack? Try HERO Therapy (TM)! Start Today! 4 EASY sessions! (1EB,1AV allies provided)
Please give this arc a try... you probably need to. Only 5(!) easy payments! You will not regret it!
*Small print* Failure to complete this arc may result in impotence, baldness, general ridicule from children, a lessening of EXP earning potential, and an overall decline of self respect. For further details contact ridiculous girl. Money will not be refunded under any condition.
global: ridiculous girl
Hero Therapy! (TM) - 119228
welcome to donut world - 1233
Alright, but, let me please draw your attention to the rest of the thread: How likely do you think it is that I will like a comedy arc? 
truthfully? it is not really a comedy. it has some comic elements, but i would not describe it as a comedy. ok, maybe a light romantic comedy... just kidding. but seriously, in my description i am trying to sell a product... try it and tell me that i am lying? 
global: ridiculous girl
Hero Therapy! (TM) - 119228
welcome to donut world - 1233
SO HEY
About that reviewing thing today? Turns out today my internet chose to die. Griiiindteeeth.
Arc 3630 - You Say It's Your Birthday
Rating: No Rating
Today, I resolved, to get some backlog dealt with. So perhaps I deserve it for finding that I have... well, a lot of comedy arcs. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't want to give people the wrong idea, I like comedy. I like comedy a lot but I don't know what's so attractive to people about the mission architect that screams 'use me for comedy.' It feels like trying to carve with boxing gloves on, or as if comedy can excuse writing that may not make sense, or be overly simple. Whatever.
This arc was PM'd to me by someone so I feel bad for them in this case, but as is my wont, I got about halfway through the first mission, recognised just how different this arc was to what I was looking for, and decided to leave. It's not a bad arc - it's decent-ish for the kind of comedy it wants to be, and it doesn't really do anything that I found entertaining in the opening.
Now, look, as an author it's your job to not only provide an interesting conclusion to a story but to provide a good beginning. My primary interest in mission architect is story-based reviews. I want to play through stories, through ideas, through uses of the mission architect to do something that can be part of a character's life. Why do people insist on constantly using it to make fart gags, in droves!?
I didn't rate the arc - at least, I hope I didn't - because I simply wanted nothing to do with it. If you're looking for a showcased custom enemy type, a bunch of cake gags and an inefficient, unimpressive use of the mission architect system elements that I actually like, take it for a spin. Take it away.
So, look, here's the thing: I don't care about what simple joke you can make. A joke has to support a mission, not be an excuse for it. A story arc has to be a story arc. I am getting very very fed up with seeing a joke dragged out, custom factions being wiggled around on the end of strings, and the 'OH HAY I CAN MAKE MY OWN MISSIONS NOW' approach people are giving me. Especially since most of the times, the jokes aren't funny, the custom critters suck, and No, you probably can't really make your own [censored] missions.
Ugh. I am seriously considering shifting to a QPQ system so that people will maybe read the thread a bit more clearly and consider: 'Do I really want Talen telling me that my jokes suck?' before they submit YET ANOTHER STUPID COMEDY ARC to me.
Oh, and this is the first thing on the list. We're in for a looong day.
[ QUOTE ]
Arc 3630 - You Say It's Your Birthday
Rating: No Rating
Today, I resolved, to get some backlog dealt with. So perhaps I deserve it for finding that I have... well, a lot of comedy arcs. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't want to give people the wrong idea, I like comedy. I like comedy a lot but I don't know what's so attractive to people about the mission architect that screams 'use me for comedy.' It feels like trying to carve with boxing gloves on, or as if comedy can excuse writing that may not make sense, or be overly simple. Whatever.
This arc was PM'd to me by someone so I feel bad for them in this case, but as is my wont, I got about halfway through the first mission, recognised just how different this arc was to what I was looking for, and decided to leave. It's not a bad arc - it's decent-ish for the kind of comedy it wants to be, and it doesn't really do anything that I found entertaining in the opening.
Now, look, as an author it's your job to not only provide an interesting conclusion to a story but to provide a good beginning. My primary interest in mission architect is story-based reviews. I want to play through stories, through ideas, through uses of the mission architect to do something that can be part of a character's life. Why do people insist on constantly using it to make fart gags, in droves!?
I didn't rate the arc - at least, I hope I didn't - because I simply wanted nothing to do with it. If you're looking for a showcased custom enemy type, a bunch of cake gags and an inefficient, unimpressive use of the mission architect system elements that I actually like, take it for a spin. Take it away.
So, look, here's the thing: I don't care about what simple joke you can make. A joke has to support a mission, not be an excuse for it. A story arc has to be a story arc. I am getting very very fed up with seeing a joke dragged out, custom factions being wiggled around on the end of strings, and the 'OH HAY I CAN MAKE MY OWN MISSIONS NOW' approach people are giving me. Especially since most of the times, the jokes aren't funny, the custom critters suck, and No, you probably can't really make your own [censored] missions.
Ugh. I am seriously considering shifting to a QPQ system so that people will maybe read the thread a bit more clearly and consider: 'Do I really want Talen telling me that my jokes suck?' before they submit YET ANOTHER STUPID COMEDY ARC to me.
Oh, and this is the first thing on the list. We're in for a looong day.
[/ QUOTE ]
Wow. My jokes suck.
(commits ritual suicide using a rubber chicken)
MA Author: Look for my eight arcs under @Witty Librarian!
Hero Cleanup Protocol estory now available! Through Smashwords.com and most ebook retailers!
Arc 26095 - When Trouble Blows In
Rating: **
Back when I used to get paid for being an opinionated [censored], we used to do these things called set reviews. A new set of cards would come out, and it'd be a list of about 300 cards, and writers would then look at them and intersperse commentary on each card in a vacuum. Typically, they were terrible. One of the writing trends you could observe in this is that all the white cards - the first cards to show up in the list - would get a lot of detailed study and analysis. Then, the lands, the artifacts - the things that came last - would get little, sparse, one-liner comments. This is something I thought of as writing tapering, where the writer's enthusiasm all bubbles up, starts the project, and then steadily peters out. Stubbornness gets them to finish - and it shows. Strong introductions, clear opinions, good analysis early on, and then it kinda dribbles off.
Such is the vice with this arc; I want to rate this arc higher. On a conceptual level, on an ideas level, I want it to be a four. But the problems that show up with the writing and the later mission design just drag it down, then down, then down. So let's round up the crimes of the arc: <ul type="square">[*]Custom enemies who are modest as minions and bloody scary when lieutenants and bosses thanks to having storm debuffs, sonic debuffs, and Aim.[*]Narrative coincidence - the first and second missions have nothing in common from the outset. Until you do them, they've got nothing in common.[*]It introduces an enemy group that can't be seen again.[*]Level range jumps, very very clearly - in fact, one mission is locked at a single level range - which is never mentioned in the briefing or clearly justified in-game.[*]You fight two groups who you fight 'just because' - Arachnos and Freakshow.[*]Clue and dialogues are somewhat unmeshed.[*]The contact joins you in the last mission![/list]And yet, at the same time? The Freakshow are good! They're well-written. The contact isn't super-obnoxious (she's a boss, so she's obviously going to be badass, but she's also ditchable if you want to - though that shouldn't really be necessary). The custom enemy looks good, solid, and appropriate to its type, and while the arc is 'Hey, look at this new enemy group springing up out of nowhere that you've never heard of before and will never hear from again,' it has a good reason for why you'll never hear from them again.
As to the difficulty of the arc, I did this on a level 31 Claws/Willpower scrapper using nothing but SOs, purchased. Therefore, everything he had was level 30, and grey. Underpowered? Possibly, I suppose. Either way, the new guys would punch through purple inspirations (they visibly have targeting drones), they would rip through through me when I wasn't able to drop them in one or two hits. I could herd up three spawns of Freakshow at a time to AoE them, and yet in the same mission, the minions of the new group had me huffing oranges and greens to survive. Nonetheless, I did not let this daunt me - since the arc has an espionage and covert ops theme, I took it upon myself to be a dirt-stabbing back-bag, huffing inspirations and playing hit-and-run with the bad guys. This brings me on to one of the other weaknesses of the arc: The compass text is atmospheric to the point of being confusing. The final mission gives you three goals - two easily identified, the third totally impenetrable.
In the interest of full disclosure, I got through the four mission arc, up to the finale, then, facing this final requirement which seemed to imply a defeat all, couldn't handle it. I figure half the fault here is Swivel's - if I'd bothered to IO him, or if his SOs were green instead of grey, I'd be fine. Plus, the problems I had noted seemed to be clear there - the bad guys hit hard, they pack up tight, and they debuff to prevent me getting away. Well, that's what happens, and if I was playing a tougher character who was a bigger badass, well, I'd probably have been fine. Assuming it was a defeat all, I quit, and decided to round up my thoughts.
Looking back, the arc didn't anger me. It had a story, it had a tone and it had a clear sense of character voice. There was only one 'character' per se in the piece - one individual I dealt with, who was, by and large, quite good and entertaining. She did overdo it in her character voice, and when I could finally look at her bio, I found it lacking. Despite that, though, I found her decent enough and not offensive - I certainly wasn't annoyed when she was involved in the mission, and I imagine if I was a buffer, I'd quite like having her along (which didn't get us tickets, but that's its own problem).
Generally, the details in this arc have received due attention. The story arc has a good idea behind it, but it needs refinement, it needs affirmation. There are a lot of strong elements - a strong idea, if I could be so bold, a strong outline for an arc. Now it needs filling in. Characterisation could use some extra depth - as a group, as a plan. This story feels like it needs work to get to the higher ratings I feel it merits, but the good news is, all those areas are pretty clear - they're places the author can expand. If you're a fan of espionage or dirt-stabbing back-bag behaviour as a heroic character, give the arc a run. I think this one needs more eyes than my own, because the arc has a good idea underpinning it.
Also I've noticed I have a large number of SO-driven characters where I would normally be using IOs this time last year. Any field crafter wannabes on Virtue, heroside, who want some help on getting Fabricator, drop me a line >.>
[ QUOTE ]
Going through the thread, refreshing my list, gunna sit down and get some of these reviews out shorlty.
[/ QUOTE ]
I have two story-intensive arcs I'm always looking to have people check out and give feedback on. Although story-intensive, there are some plot-justified challenging bits. Reccomended for capable soloists or teams.
Arc: Amazon-Avatars
Arc ID: 5909
Author: @FemFury
Number of Missions: 5
Description: An ancient artifact falls into the wrong hands, unleashing ancient powers.
Above average to hard difficulty (uses some tough factions, has 3 custom Bosses, 1 custom EB/AV, ambushes)
Lots of text throughout.
Arc: Escalation
Arc ID: 6143
Author: @FemFury
Number of Missions: 5
Description: Story that starts with a confrontation with a minor supervillainess. A bit of a study in developing a character.
Although 5 missions long can play pretty fast (1st mission has some running around, after that, missions can be quite quick)
Final fight has an EB/AV which may not be soloable with all ATs or powersets.
I'm a published amateur comic book author: www.ericjohnsoncomics.com
******MA Arcs****
Arc 5909: "Amazon-Avatars"
Arc 6143: "Escalation" (Nominee: Architect Awards, Nominee: Player Awards, and Dev's Choice!)
[ QUOTE ]
Arc 26095 - When Trouble Blows In
Rating: **
[/ QUOTE ]
All good points and the suggestions you PM'd to me make good sense. This was my first stab at the MA.
Since taking time to write my first two arcs, I've been noodling about seeing how I can push things in terms of tricking the engine to allow for more espionage like activities--like meeting a man with a briefcase and getting a clue, etc.
I've also been playing a lot of arcs to see how other folks are telling good stories through these tools.
I'll agree that things got sloppy towards the end in terms of the writing. And I had some reservations about the contacts hammy accent. Believe it or not, that character, when I roleplay her, it's that overdone. But it's also not a wall of text--just one or two lines of banter barked out.
Anyways, some of the best feedback I've yet received on this arc. Was originally thinking about just scrapping it as it was a first attempt (I skipped open beta myself). But your comments inspire me to go back and see if I can't fix this story.
Thanks for taking the time.
And yeah, if you were IO'd or had some green SO's you probably would have been able to solo the CC's.
Unless I completely missed it, it seems you skipped over my arc listed in page 2, way way back in page 2 (at 30 posts per page). I'd still love to get a review out of ya, even if you end up giving it 0 stars, but a harsh review is better than a 5 star farmer.
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
The QPQ seems like a kind of automatic quality reassurant,
[/ QUOTE ]
I don't know what you're trying to imply there.
[/ QUOTE ]That you're only going to get people submitting their arc for trial who actually want to put forth the effort of doing YOUR arc, so you're going to get fewer trials from people who care more.
[/ QUOTE ]
I think that sentence could be read multiple ways. I read it as follows: You will get fewer requests for reviews and the requests you do get will be from people who care more about their arcs and the game.
Frankly, that seems like a win-win to me.
Why Blasters? Empathy Sucks.
So, you want to be Mental?
What the hell? Let's buff defenders.
Tactics are for those who do not have a big enough hammer. Wisdom is knowing how big your hammer is.