Guide to setting players' levels in MA [I14]
By
Alef_infinity,
Posted on: 2009-04-22 17:26 in Player Guides
[ QUOTE ]
Now we come to the part where I tell you what doesn't seem to work. You may notice in looking through mobs that some have overlapping ranges. Unfortunately if you use a mob with a level 5-15 range in the same group as a level 15-40 this doesn't set the mission level to 15. I wish it did.
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Putting critters of differing levels into the same group expands the level of the group. This can be a good thing if you want a group that spawns lower level and weaker foes at low levels, but starts putting in the higher level and stronger foes at a higher level.
However, if you put critters of different levels in *separate* groups, and use both group anywhere in the mission then the mission gets restricted to where the two groups overlap.
So, if you have a Boss objective and the Boss is level 30-50 and you put in an accompanying group to spawn with the Boss whose range is 20-40, then that will restrict the mission to 30-40.
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Correction: "Fight a Boss" doesn't actually require a Boss rank mob. The name is misleading.
[ QUOTE ]
Putting critters of differing levels into the same group expands the level of the group. This can be a good thing if you want a group that spawns lower level and weaker foes at low levels, but starts putting in the higher level and stronger foes at a higher level.
However, if you put critters of different levels in *separate* groups, and use both group anywhere in the mission then the mission gets restricted to where the two groups overlap.
So, if you have a Boss objective and the Boss is level 30-50 and you put in an accompanying group to spawn with the Boss whose range is 20-40, then that will restrict the mission to 30-40.
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Just to clarify: you're saying if you made a custom group to fill the whole mission, from, say, the ranks of the CoT, and put both Succubi (e.g., levels 30-40 [**not actual levels**]) and Hellfrost bosses (levels 20-35) in the group, then the mission's range would be 20-40, not 30-35? (And presumably you could even do this with a custom group that included bosses from different factions.)
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Putting critters of differing levels into the same group expands the level of the group. This can be a good thing if you want a group that spawns lower level and weaker foes at low levels, but starts putting in the higher level and stronger foes at a higher level.
However, if you put critters of different levels in *separate* groups, and use both group anywhere in the mission then the mission gets restricted to where the two groups overlap.
So, if you have a Boss objective and the Boss is level 30-50 and you put in an accompanying group to spawn with the Boss whose range is 20-40, then that will restrict the mission to 30-40.
[/ QUOTE ]
Just to clarify: you're saying if you made a custom group to fill the whole mission, from, say, the ranks of the CoT, and put both Succubi (e.g., levels 30-40 [**not actual levels**]) and Hellfrost bosses (levels 20-35) in the group, then the mission's range would be 20-40, not 30-35? (And presumably you could even do this with a custom group that included bosses from different factions.)
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Kind of hard to decipher that but yes, I do believe that is what he means. You can't effectively exemplar enemies higher than another group of enemies in your map so it simply widens the range.
Seems like a good guide, useful for many secrets I won't mention... But a note, I believe damage scaling is broken for SKing automatically in a MArc. Not positive, but I know at one point in the early release my lvl 33 broad sword scrap was SK'd to 40 and he was hitting extremely low damage to custom critters with no resistance.
@Wubstep - Freedom
Kristian V - 50 SS/FA brute
Disast3rpiece - 50 FA/SS tank
Rain of Subdual - 50 Arch/MM
PyrokinetiXXX - 50 Fire/Kin
I think the damage numbers show up extremely low, as I've had level 1-20 done in AE a lot lately, and it says I'm doing from 1-27 damage with attacks that do... 1 to 27 damage at the level I'm using them at, yet the enemies are dropping in a few cycles as I would expect them to if they were doing appropriately scaled damage.
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Correction: "Fight a Boss" doesn't actually require a Boss rank mob. The name is misleading.
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Now it does. Boss or higher. In Beta, could have been something lower in rank than a Boss, but that was changed.
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[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Correction: "Fight a Boss" doesn't actually require a Boss rank mob. The name is misleading.
[/ QUOTE ]
Now it does. Boss or higher. In Beta, could have been something lower in rank than a Boss, but that was changed.
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It requires a boss or higher rank "standard" NPC. It allows any rank of custom NPC. (However, that's not especially germane to the discussion, since a custom NPC doesn't influence the mission level.)
Blue
American Steele: 50 BS/Inv
Nightfall: 50 DDD
Sable Slayer: 50 DM/Rgn
Fortune's Shadow: 50 Dark/Psi
WinterStrike: 47 Ice/Dev
Quantum Well: 43 Inv/EM
Twilit Destiny: 43 MA/DA
Red
Shadowslip: 50 DDC
Final Rest: 50 MA/Rgn
Abyssal Frost: 50 Ice/Dark
Golden Ember: 50 SM/FA
[u]How to force your map or arc to set players' levels[u]
Preface: This guide assumes you know how to create a mission in AE and click buttons.
You may have seen or played other player's mission in MA that set your level-effectively side kicking or exemplaring you. This guide will tell you how to do that yourself.
There are actually multiple ways to do this but most of them involve creating a custom group. Go to the custom group creation screen and select "Standard". You should see a long list of enemies that you can use that look something like this:
<font class="small">Code:[/color]<hr /><pre>Soldiers of Rularuu - Random Minion (41 - 54)
Soldiers of Rularuu - Random Lieutenant (41 - 54)
Soldiers of Rularuu - Random Boss (41 - 54)
Brute - Minion (41 - 54)
Honored Brute - Boss (41 - 54)
Noble Brute - Lieutenant (41 -54)
Natterling - Minion (50 - 50)
</pre><hr />
We're most interested in the last mob I listed, the Natterling, who exists only as a level 50. If you add one of these to a custom group and then use it on your map all players will fight as level 50's.
If you look through the mobs you will see a few others that exist only at one level. For example, if you want to make the player very weak you could set them all the way to level 1 by using a mob from the contaminated enemy group. Another would be the Rikti Monkey which has a version with a level range of (30 - 30).
Now you could just set all enemies to your new custom group; but maybe you don't want your entire map to be that kind of mob. Some of the alternatives, what some might call tricky ways, to set the mission include: Free a Captive, Add an Ambush, Fight a Boss, etc.
The least intrusive way-add an ambush-is probably the most complicated as well. In order to make this affect your mission minimally you probably want to set the trigger to something not obvious. Ambushes need a trigger and since we don't actually want the ambush triggered a good trigger would be a non-required collectible. I suggest using Bomb(small).
Once you've added the collectible item then you can create an ambush with your custom group on its completion.
If you instead choose to use the "Release a Captive" option your custom group isn't even required. Just select Standard then navigate to the mob that possess the level you want. The downside of using this is it may break up continuity in your mission. Remember to deselect "Required for Mission Completion".
The third way I mentioned I mentioned is "Fight a Boss". This way assumes that a boss with the level you desire exists. This method will most likely be even more jarring for the continuity of your mission than the others. I don't recommend it.
Now we come to the part where I tell you what doesn't seem to work. You may notice in looking through mobs that some have overlapping ranges. Unfortunately if you use a mob with a level 5-15 range in the same group as a level 15-40 this doesn't set the mission level to 15. I wish it did.
In writing this guide and being curious in general I messed around with editing the mission files or custom group files directly. This is not a valid way to bypass the in-game editor. If you try to run a mission which has been changed the game won't let you and will force you to fix it before testing or publishing.
If I've missed anything, you just want to comment, or you have any questions I'd be happy to hear from you.
-Chaos Creator
Some people who know more than me have been replying; I suggest reading the first few at least.