[ QUOTE ]
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 ]
*drops a line on your face*
Tell me watchyuu need!
-STEELE =)
Allied to all sides so that no matter what, I'll come out on top!
Oh, and Crimson demands you play this arc-> Twisted Knives (MA Arc #397769)
Ahh wow, I never noticed I swapped two of the numbers for the arc's ID. No wonder, oh well! I've enjoyed reading your reviews nonetheless. If you ever do get to it (not that I expect it considering it was a major snafu on my part), the actual ID number is 15381.
Edit: I apologize now, I just realized that the changes to critter powers actually made my custom group harder, a certain critter is meant to have fear, and pre changes it did have fear and a half. Now? It has fear, confuse, and a hold. As such, I lowered the difficulty of the group as a whole to make up for the increased difficulty of that one critter.
[ QUOTE ]
Ahh wow, I never noticed I swapped two of the numbers for the arc's ID. No wonder, oh well! I've enjoyed reading your reviews nonetheless. If you ever do get to it (not that I expect it considering it was a major snafu on my part), the actual ID number is 15381.
[/ QUOTE ]Bumped to the top of the queue. It was there before, but obviously, since I couldn't get it to run, I couldn't do it.
If I may humbly sumbit my work for the shredder...
ArcID 170506
Title "Threads"
Alignment Heroic
Soloable? Probably
Level Range any possible but SOs+ reccomended
Starts with a rescue, Circle of Thorn plot, blah blah blah. One EB at the end, you have help with it. Custom bosses.
[ QUOTE ]
Actually, I can't find the arc. The following arcs have been bumped to the bottom of the list for technical reasons:
Arc 49280 - The Toypocalypse!
- Doesn't seem to work. I've tried to start this arc four times and not once does it actually start.
[/ QUOTE ]
Thanks for the heads up! Must have gotten broken with one of the patches. The way it breaks reminds me of what happened when you had an invalid name in beta.
I republished it and that seems to have fixed it. At least I can get it to run now.
EDIT: And it runs all the way through. Some enemy placements are different, but it's nothing that breaks the arc. I'll probably edit it once I got the sequel I'm planning close to ready, so the coming review is going to help, I hope.
Aegis Rose, Forcefield/Energy Defender - Freedom
"Bubble up for safety!"
Yup. All it took was pushing the Republish button and it's back online.
Aegis Rose, Forcefield/Energy Defender - Freedom
"Bubble up for safety!"
Arc 15381 - Heaven Is Not Enough
Rating: *
Our victim today, Rikis has been waiting patiently so I drop the doctor's bag and produce the corkscrew. I agonised about this review quite a bit, along with its brother in the text file that is my organisation for this project. I don't like giving out low ratings and I really don't like giving out very low ratings, like *. When an arc is offensively bad it can drag out a lot of hack and bile and I'll lay into it with a big knobbly stick. This arc is not offensively bad, though, it's just bad enough to merit one star. To make sure I wasn't being unduly unfair, I gave the arc a second shot, this time bringing along a team - tank, blaster, controller. Same result as before.
The first tool of choice was once more, Swivel, level 31 claws/willpower scrapper, ticking on low-end SO performance. One might wonder why I keep using this guy after all the EBs keep kicking his [censored], my native inclination is because I feel he offers a good moderate performance; he's not stymied by mez protection, enemies don't tend to dole out big chunks of -regen, and commonly, people use -def dealing opponents like broadsword, katana, or gunners. A minor note, a curiosity. Either way - Swivel stepped up to this plate and we'll see how we went.
First impressions are important, and this arc doesn't really make one. The introduction shows an uneven level range and basically no description of what goes on in the arc at all. There's no story hook, just a bunch of tags and a warning that there are Terrors in the mission. Level range is part of the story to me - the perspective, the type of fiction I'm reading. I've written on this before, so I'll be brief - the arc has a standard ceiling but a nonstandardised floor. Worry, worry... Plus, there's little flavour from the outset. The arc opening fails to do anything wrong at the same time. While I'm not super-fond of the idea of the introduction being purely mechanical information, it's better than bad writing.
The opening of the arc itself provides the simple, basic detail of you going to offer help to someone who probably needs it. I really don't hope to bust in to save a hero only to get an earful of 'Hey, why are you bothering to help me, oh, oops, here's a clue.' Fortunately, no such unluck - the arc plays straight with you, at least insofar as I can tell. The level The rest of the arc plays out sensibly - in mish 1 you get a clue that leads to mish 2, after the contact has had a chance to ruminate on it. Mish 2 has a common element with Mish 1, and while I feel it's a bit predictable it's also not handled too badly - while you get assistance, it's assistance you don't need and so the rest of the mission isn't balanced based on it.
There are some minor spelling errors; I get the impression the author is familiar with storytelling, such as outlining to friends or roleplayers, but not in presenting a story to a reader. There's almost no polish, information is introduced with a kind of scattered character voice - the clues which are very obvious are spelled out in their mystery ('It's from Drols Sesimen, and you're sure you've heard that name before', for example), the ones that could merit spelling out are left ambiguous. And the character that you do meet in this arc develops in an unfortunately obvious fashion.
If I had to pick a theme for this arc I'd call it 'isolated.' The missions have that same feeling many arcs do, in that they feel like the person who made the arc wasn't sure what he could - or couldn't - do with the arc in question. So there's stuff like nesting mission goals, captives that are chosen for the sake of it, enemy groups selected because of the undead theme without any real controls made on that topic. And then there's the custom enemy faction.
The enemy faction has about 4 minion types I saw, and about 4 lieutenant types. There's no clear, cohesive theme for them, beyond powers that say '[censored] you.' On my claws/willpower scrapper, they said '[censored] you'. Trying it a second time on a shield/willpower tank, with backup from an illusion/storm controller and a fire/fire blaster, they still said '[censored] you.' There's a mission that seems to be a Defeat All featuring these guys - hunt for three clues and defeat all. Hard to kill, hard to hit, high damage and without any real cohesion or explanation for their overall level of power, I was left with the distinct feeling they'd been picked for power and thematics were a secondary concern.
So, an obvious plot, inconsistant characterisation of the player character, unremarkable use of maps, civilians and enemy groups, clues, and well, just about everything you can use the mission architect for is... well, inadequate. It's unspecial. If this arc had its spelling errors corrected, its language tidied up and its characterisation made more consistant, it would still just be a three-star arc.
We as arc creators must consider, any threat you present using custom characters has to be compared to the rest of the arcs, the rest of the game. Therefore, for a faction to show up out of nowhere and present a legitimately scary threat to not one but two other groups, you have to have some good, compelling, interesting reason for it, conveyed well through character, and not just through someone saying they're scared. If an existing enemy faction acts out-of-character in the arc, and then acts scared of the faction you introduce, that diminishes the weight of the fear. And this group doesn't. They're mechanically overpowering, sure, but that doesn't translate into a clear sense of power. With the scattered theme they have, I'd honestly have been less surprised to see other undead factions drawn together under the same heading.
I really do wish I had more good to say about the arc - it's clear who made it really likes it, likes the character and likes the work they put in. But it's unfortunately a very simple utilisation of the tools we have available to us. I do hope to see the further work of the creator, though - he clearly has a love of the medium, and a desire to tell stories.
Review Thread: Talen_Lee's Arc Reviews 2: The Knockoff
Rating *****
I was planning on starting a new thread to rate and discuss the sorts of reviews that people are producing, but then I actually went and looked at what was on offer. Talen_Lee's reviews so far outstrip the competition that it's not really worth the bother.
Talen_Lee's reviews are not only well written and entertaining, they also help me as an arc-writer to learn from the mistakes, and skills, of others. They do tend towards drawn-out and overwrought at points, but these crimes are bearable, and sometimes add to the atmosphere of the review.
The major offenses that Talen_Lee avoids are the inclusion of a story synopsis which serves only to spoil the arcs for potential players and to put the reader to sleep; listing specifics of grammatical and spelling errors (he sends these in a PM to the author); the use of trite characterizations like "Wallbanger", or "Just a bunch of stuff that happens"; and the quid pro quo arrangement which obligates the reviewer to write dull reviews for bad arcs, and reveals that they are more interested in their arc than their reviews.
It's good to see Talen_Lee finally using his powers for good.
I'd like to submit my latest arc for review.
Disclaimer: I realize there is a problem with fluctuating level ranges between missions, which I fully intend to fix with the next patch, when they allow us to explicitly specify the range. I used almost solely Croatoa factions, so I think the devs got a few of the level ranges wrong. The arc is intended for a low to mid 30's character.
I'd also like your opinion on the last chapter, whether I've stepped over the line into a possible copyright violation.
Arc Name: Tales of Croatoa: A Rose By Any Other Name....
Arc ID: 178774
Morality: Heroic
Factions: Red Cap, Ghosts, Cabal, Custom
Difficulty Level: Moderate to Hard. Mission 5 has EB/AV.
Synopsis : Patrolling in Croatoa one night, you notice a little girl wandering aimlessly on the edges of a cemetery and decide to stop to help. Experience a tale of love, sorrow, and betrayal as you attempt to unravel a mystery. (SFMA)
131430 Starfare: First Contact
178774 Tales of Croatoa: A Rose By Any Other Name ( 2009 MA Best In-Canon Arc ) ( 2009 Player Awards - Best Serious Arc )
Thank you for taking the time to both run and review my arc. I have to say, I am honestly not sure of why you found the group so hard. All minions are set to standard/standard, with all of them having a low damaging attack set (either dark energy which are low damage or lethal, both of which again are low damage and easily resisted) ,a defensive secondary (that when scaled to minion is not noticeable, with the exception or /sr and /ninjutsu, the /sr I can change quite easily, but the /ninjutsu is so for the theme). There are two lieutenants, one of which is hard/standard the Executioner. The Banshee is Standard/Hard. Sadly, the last change they made to the power sets critters get made the Banshee harder than she should be. as illusion used to be spectral wounds, the horror, and flash on standard, now instead of getting fear (which is their whole schtick) they get deceive.
I actually made changes to the character you meet so that it is more obvious on what happens, but based on the latest reviews I've gotten after said changes, I'm thinking of making it more ambiguous. It used to be that the people who played my arc told me mission 5's end boss "came out of nowhere". It's certainly not the first star I've gotten, nor will it be the last. And best of all, better than 5 star farmers, you told me on ways to improve the arc, and again, you have my gratitude. It's interesting that I get more 1 and 4 or 5 stars (not counting the farmers) than any other arc I've created, this one seems to polarize the people who play it.
I would like to put my arc up for a review when you have some time.
17006.
It is about my characters, but you don't have to care if you don't want to 
I'd submitted my arc(s) on Venture's thread, but it seems reviews may have ceased there, and all the recent posts have been from people adding their requests for reviews. So I'm hoping I can get a review here.
If possible, I'd like a review of my first arc, "A South Side Story," #49035. It's SFMA LBMA, with a level range of 5-14. It was designed for play at levels 10-14, and it is intended to provide a challenge somewhere between a conventional arc and a TF.
"A South Side Story" is a good example of what I'd like to be reading, seeing, and playing in the game.
I realize, however, that reviewers do not necessarily have a toon at levels 10-14 and may not appreciate playing an arc at that level. If that is the case, then may I point you to Plan B.
One player who sent me a comment on "South Side" asked for "moar levels" and another person asked for a less complicated story, so I provided both of these in my second arc "Hall of the Dancing Tigers," #76764 (SFMA LBMA).
"Hall of the Dancing Tigers" is not level limited, but it is intended for play at levels 3-8. Like "South Side" it exposes and builds upon canon themes.
Anyway, I'd like a review on either of these, especially "A South Side Story."
Thanks!
I'd submitted my arc(s) on Venture's thread, but it seems reviews may have ceased there
You probably asked on the wrong thread.
I threw your arc into my lowbie queue, which is getting some priority treatment 'coz I'm levelling up a new Plant/Thermal Controller (level 13 currently).
Current Blog Post: "Why I am an Atheist..."
"And I say now these kittens, they do not get trained/As we did in the days when Victoria reigned!" -- T. S. Eliot, "Gus, the Theatre Cat"
[ QUOTE ]
I'd submitted my arc(s) on Venture's thread, but it seems reviews may have ceased there
You probably asked on the wrong thread.
I threw your arc into my lowbie queue, which is getting some priority treatment 'coz I'm levelling up a new Plant/Thermal Controller (level 13 currently).
[/ QUOTE ]
Heh, cool!
And thank you for pointing me to the other thread. I've been reading these review threads in hope of finding some quality arcs to play.
I really enjoy your review style, Talen, and would your honest and unfiltered (yikes! can't believe I'm asking for that 
) critique of my arc:
Arc ID# 55715
"Freaks and Geeks"
by: @El Condor
Morality: Heroic
Length: 3 Missions
Level Recommended: 30-54
Enemy Groups: Freakshow, Crey, custom (Crey GenEx)
"Paragon Citys active geek community has done much to contribute to its status as a cutting-edge, techno-infused metropolis. Now its time to pay it back and save the geeks in their greatest hour of need!"
I published it a few weeks ago, and have been obsessively pecking away at it ever since. I'm always up for more outside perspective - hope you enjoy.
EC
Ugh, sick. Ugh, internet connection being [censored]. Ugh, custom mobs kicking my [censored].
I'm coming to wonder if I'm just mysteriously bad at this game all of a sudden. I went through some normal content and cleaned house, and found myself unimpressed by taking on three +2 freakshow bosses at once, so I don't think I'm quite as bad as it could be.
More on the thread later. Stuff added to the queue. I'm actually at TurboSki's offering. Weirdly, also, I'm getting a lot of RP these days, which is awfully enjoyable, but not something anyone would care about.
Depends on what kind of RP it is. 
"the reason there are so many sarcastic pvpers is we already had a better version of pvp taken away from us to appease bad players. Back then we chuckled at how bad players came here and whined. If we knew that was the actual voice devs would listen to instead of informed, educated players we probably would have been bigger dicks back then." -ConFlict
I actually went into an arena to actually PVP with an actual character and actually won.
Then we realised that the arena didn't auto-equalise our levels and I felt like a bully. D:
[ QUOTE ]
Then we realised that the arena didn't auto-equalise our levels
[/ QUOTE ]
This drives me mental. What's the bloody point of letting people fight at different levels?
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Then we realised that the arena didn't auto-equalise our levels
[/ QUOTE ]
This drives me mental. What's the bloody point of letting people fight at different levels?
[/ QUOTE ]Wang measurement?
Arc 16952 and 59456 - Brass Reaver (Parts 1 and 2)
Rating: **
A brief insight, for those who care, as how these reviews look as first drafts. Because I attempted this arc once, gave up, and decided I'd come back to it. With so many arcs I wound up quitting based on difficulty levels or boredom levels, I figured my tolerance had to be declining or something. Therefore, after this first-run through, I decided to take another try at it, later, with a character who was running with green SOs, or maybe common IOs. I've been trying to use these characters to bust through these arcs because I know that not every reader is going to want to see my purpled-out spines/dark or IO'd-out-the-guts, soft-capped Night Widow yawn through enemy groups, then comment 'there weren't any real difficulties.' This is why I've focused on Swivel and Saxon so heavily; Swivel provides nothing but a common damage type, knockback/down, and regeneration. While he's powerful, sure, he's also simplistic - he's not likely to strike onto an enemy's secret hidden weak spot. Saxon provides more survivability, and suffers most of the same problems.
Anyway, here:[ QUOTE ]
- The mission already has me worried. For a start, it has the phrase 'nemesis has plans,' and that's all the arc description is. So I'm already on the mental backfoot, since I have no idea what the arc is actually going to be about, and there's a direct mention of a character I've never heard of. The level range jumps. This is the first impression that the arc can make, and at this point, I'm worried. Not enough to reject out of hand - I mean, it would take a fair bit for me to assume the arc is simply nothing I want after the author asked me to review it. At this point I'm thinking I've been too nice and too gentle and it's time to bust out the big knobbly stick with which to treat the arcs that attain that accolade of 'pisses me off.'
Today's victim is Swivel, Claws/WP scrapper, level 31, SOs only. Literally no IOs at all, and all his SOs are level 30, so they're going grey. In essence, we are dealing with a scrapper who is okay, but not amazing. Since I suspect I'm going to face Nemesis and a few custom bosses, I don't expect this to be a big deal - there's a reason Nemesis troops give an XP penalty.
The arc starts in a reasonable place, but the execution lacks the polish and refinement I expect of a great arc. There's an implied heroic impetus for the work but there's also mention of pay - not that there aren't heroes who want to be paid or villains who are willing to do the work, but I found the feeling between the two a bit odd. I'd say it's spoilery of me to provide information like this, but it starts with a mission that features an elite boss fight, and there's no warning of same. I trundled in expecting a boss and was summarily killed by what looked like an energy melee/invulnerability sort. Okay, fair enough - some people don't like the
[/ QUOTE ]That's it. That's as far as I got before I quit. So this is the beta commentary. The problem is, on a second run through, it didn't really change. Nemesis troops remain. Autamatons remain. The NPC elite boss you face in the first mission is still a [censored] freight train that rams itself straight down your throat.
This is where I unfortunately decided to stop. This arc is at least six missions long, and I found myself dissatisfied and disinterested with what was going on. It was against Nemesis, it featured a badass elite boss that kicked my teeth down my throat early on in the arc, and I didn't find myself overly interested to see how it played out. Like watching the first half hour of Lord of The Rings and deciding that Frodo's such a tedious scrote that you'd rather not wait until the end of Return Of The King before you gave up, I decided to stop.
It's entirely possible, to those who are better at wiping out elite bosses like they're not there, that this arc has great stuff later on. It's possible the characterisation takes a better turn, and is more enjoyable. Unfortunately, the opening two missions failed to engage me, failed to make me want to tough it out. If the opening missions had been easy and boring, and the Elite Boss at the conclusion, I might have toughed it out, and when I ran into that roadblock at the [censored]-end of the story, doggedness would push me over the edge. Unfortunately, by putting the 'good stuff' in the later part of the arc - at least, I assume that's where it's going to be - the opening of the arc is both bland and kinda tedious.
Now, contrary to what many writers like to think, the twist is not 'the most important' part of a story. It's just a part. All the parts have to be good - and in the case of an introduction, if you have a weak opening, people aren't going to bother continuing the story.
If you've patience and like fighting Nemesis, give the arc a try. Or give Gaussian's arcs a try. Or give Naylor's arcs a try. Or - well, I'll stop now.
Putting my arc up for grabs, have at it:
Title: The Day I Tried To Live
Arc ID: 131780
Morality: Neutral (Might lean more to the Red side of things)
Difficulty Level: 40+ Medium, -40 hard (just a guess)
Synopsis Experience the story of the contacts life: A tale of his downward spiral filled with self destruction, rage, desperation and a hint of love. A story of a Hero and a Madman.
Number of EB/AVS 2 EBs, the first EB mission has an ally that is not needed to complete the mission, but will help with the EB.
Story Type Serious.
Mission Count: Five
Estimated Time to Play: I have no idea...Probably more than an hour.
Note One kill all on a small map (Due to the plot). The level range is wacky because of the groups I used, two missions are 30-54, two are 40-54 and one is 41-54. Also, throughout the missions are hostages that don't need to be rescued, but might make more sense to the story.
Custom group has not been tested a lot.
Arc has a lot of text.
Be as critical as possible, if this even gets played.
Actually, I can't find the arc. The following arcs have been bumped to the bottom of the list for technical reasons:
47771 - A Dinosaur Dilemma
- Arc doesn't show up under that ID - and nothing else does
Arc 15831 - Name: Heaven's Not Enough
- Arc doesn't show up under that ID - in fact, nothing does
Arc 49280 - The Toypocalypse!
- Doesn't seem to work. I've tried to start this arc four times and not once does it actually start.