One caveat... This has just been published and still has typos as of this moment. I will be working to fix this ASAP!
One person has already played through, but they finished before I could post the final debrief. Please run it again if you read this. 
global: ridiculous girl
Hero Therapy! (TM) - 119228
welcome to donut world - 1233
This was a very unique and interesting series of missions. In it, The Therapist guides you "through hypnosis" through a series of missions designed to allow you to confront personality flaws and fears.
In Mission 1, you confront The Librarian, a person who frightened you as a child. She's surrounded by Little Dream People, fire blasters who you'll encounter throughout the missions. In Mission 2, you go through the abandoned hospital map (cool) and confront your own Vanity. The Librarian is an ally in this mission. The Therapist is with you in each mission as an observer. Also along for the ride is the Steel You lack, a knight in shining armor who assists in your fights.
In Mission 3, you and Vanity take on Your Secret Shame (!) in an outdoor map. This is a tough one, as those Little Dream People are blasters, and your allies have a hard time identifying them since they blast you from a distance. I ended up running past them and them back again. This aggroes my allies and made the fights easier for me. Mission 4 is in the sewers and you and Your Secret Shame fight The Door, which unlocks your consciousness.
Between each mission, the author has The Therapist explain the meaning of each enemy and how vanquishing it has helped you as a person.
I really enjoyed this arc, as it was completely different and interesting. Like the best arcs in this game, I was entertained AND I felt I learned something new.
The only problem I had with the arc was the varying levels of missions that existed. Mission 1 was level 1-20, Mission 2 was levels 21-29, Mission 3 was levels 30-40, and Mission 4 was levels 41-54. I ran this arc twice, first on my level 18 Scrapper and then on my level 35 Blaster. My Scrapper was fine on the early levels but just didn't have enough tools to fight inthe higher level missions. Auto-exempting worked fine, but she didn't have Stamina, enough defenses, or more than 2-3 attack powers (with few enhancement slots). I wasn't able to finish. My level 35 Blaster completed it fine, but of course received no Xp for the first 2 missions. This could be a problem, as no character will be able to fully take advantage of this excellent arc.
Again, I really enjoyed this arc and encourage others to give it a try (with a higher level alt). Due to the weird level thing, I gave it 4 stars rather than the 5 stars that it would otherwise merit.
Please try my arcs:
Arc# 63910 "Why Do Bad Girls Like Bad Boys?" (length=Long, levels 40+)
Arc# 401500 "How to Be a Successful Professional Criminal" (length=Very Long, levels 1-10)
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The only problem I had with the arc was the varying levels of missions that existed. Mission 1 was level 1-20, Mission 2 was levels 21-29, Mission 3 was levels 30-40, and Mission 4 was levels 41-54.
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I'm doing this arc right now, and noticed this now that I'm in the 2nd mission. I figured the author did this on purpose, to reflect moving through your lifetime, conquering different fears as you grew older. EDIT: At one point the contact even refers to you facing more and more powerful enemies as your powers increased, clearly revealing the author's intentions.
I did something similar with my 5th Anniversary arc (see sig), where you start off at lower levels and work your way up as you move through history. Normally I don't like it when levels change for no reason, but if there's a story reason behind it I think it can be an effective tool.
thank you both for giving my arc a whirl, and thank GGG247 for being patient enough to try it again. i have beeh trying to ingtegrate what people have been giving me feedback on. but the editor is wonky and giving me headaches. i put in some text and fill in some dialogue, then i go in later and find it all govne. it is driving me crazy! so i will continue to flesh it out but it has geen an uphill battle. i may have to nerf the LT's though. war mace/super reflexes custom toon has a ridiculous perception range. he aggros from a long ways away, and sometimes brihngs friends.
i have been running this in test mode with a mid 20 blaster. so i have had ho problems with scaling up or down. but last night i played with a team of three and our lvls were 12, 10 ahnd 5. sihce there was auto sk for the last three missions, we scaled up. but the enemies were much harder, hot too mention the couple of custom toons thnrown in. it was very difficult for low lovel toon, i must admit. downright nightmarish. so i would reccomend a higher level toon witn more fleshed out powers. but a lvl 25 AR/dev blaster has been doing just fine solo on heroic. but you do get increasinly better allies to help you so whnen the boss fights come up you can manage them solo.
one thing i noticed with the lowbie team is that spawning with the therapist, the allies and whatever side blihnky is all over the place. the therapist and his friends are supposed to spawn ihn front every time. but one time the therapist, who is my trigger for each mission, was in the back, top floor. had to bet him and then go back all the way for the allies. this is a map spawningb issue. ho idea how to fix this.
i also saw the secret shame appearing and disappearing. i do not have any idea how this is possible. i never saw that happening before and it seemed like my perception just would drop and she and her mob fade. this made it hard to find her sometimes for me and for others. just a word of warning. i will look at changing her surrounding mobs.
but anyways... any and all feedback will be read, i will reply, and i will consider any thing to make this more playable.
thank you!
RG
oh and remember that everyday is RIDICULOUS DAY! (TM) 
global: ridiculous girl
Hero Therapy! (TM) - 119228
welcome to donut world - 1233
please excuse the typos in my last response. my keyboard is broken on my laptop. so everthnihngb ehnds up lookihngb like thnis ahnd it is hnell editihngb everythnihngb...
global: ridiculous girl
Hero Therapy! (TM) - 119228
welcome to donut world - 1233
ok, made some changes based on some of my players feedback.
the /super reflexes LTs have been changed to something else due to their ridiculous perception range and aggroing across crowded maps... the minions have been changed too though it looks like there is a bug with their secondary, because it is not showing their grfx for it. changed a patrol to something that makes more sense themewise.
i am always looking for more players and feedback. i will try to reply to any feedback given. unfortunately, sometimes, i cannot make some changes because it becomes nonsensical. here is a caveat given due to one players feedback... if you are a role player, who takes RP seriously, this is an arc for humans with normal human upbringings. aliens, robots, wolf-children, insects, etc, type of roleplayers need to find therapy elsewhere... though you may benefit in a tangential way... some therapy is better than none, i alway say... 
global: ridiculous girl
Hero Therapy! (TM) - 119228
welcome to donut world - 1233
ok i made a few more tweaks and i am always looking for more plays and more feedback. if you really like the arc, please post your feedback here. it would be greatly appreciated. i will always try to reply to any feedback given.
celebrity endorsements encouraged! 
global: ridiculous girl
Hero Therapy! (TM) - 119228
welcome to donut world - 1233
Wow, this arc sounds interesting. Nice to see something high-concept and quite strange.
hey, thanks. please give it a run and leave me feedback here. i would greatly appreciate it.
global: ridiculous girl
Hero Therapy! (TM) - 119228
welcome to donut world - 1233
Feedback from a high 40s spine/regen scrapper. (Because I want to get Mission Engineer legit, dangitall.) She's a plant person from another dimension.
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Interesting framing device, even if it doesn't strictly work with the MA system. Maybe if his "bug me" dialog was something like "step towards the light".
Ah, the Midnight Club. Makes a nice introductory map since it's so small and mostly empty... odd. My subconscious nightmares just got owned by Vazhilok. I'm not sure what this says about me.
...I'm not sure if there's a proper use of "chicken tug", but this comes close
Well, I'll take this as comedy. But because I think about things WAY too hard, while the New Kids on the Block and the X For Dummies series both technically overlapped, at the time the NKotB were falling out of pop and X For Dummies was talking exclusively about programming.
If you wanted to go "crazy dream" with it, well, the bookreading zombies were a start, but maybe have her castigate you about various other insane personal faults, ending with "AND WHY ARE YOU ONLY WEARING YOUR UNDERWEAR?!"
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Man, the hospital map.
Yeah, this is a terrible pet peeve of mine and rather unfair to you, but there's only one of this map and a bajagillion nooks and crannies. (For our UK readers, that's 1.5 metric buttloads.)
Wow. This place is a morgue.
A really, really, understaffed morgue with bodies all over the place. ...did there really need to be so many? I'm trying to sift through the generics to find something special and it's kind of a pain. (also is it possible to not give your fireblasters Minerals? Boosted perception and all that.)
I'd also kind of like more description on them than just "figment of your imagination", but I'm suspecting space issues are at work here. If they're not then why not have a little speculation?
Ah, the Ink Men at least have someone else to drain speed off of- OH SWEET JESUS NIGHTMARES OUTTA NOWHERE! Were they an ambush? They certainly seemed to run in.
The Therapist is in the end room of the map. Is he supposed to be there? Forunately Vanity doesn't spawn within immediate aggro range. My two helpers are back on the bottom floor.
I was kinda expecting a clue from somewhere in the remains of shattered promises and broken friendships. Either way, can you tone them down? I can understand using them for effect but the effect on me is "glowie somewhere. Monk senses tingling! Must... adjust... glowie!"
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The intro to the third mission mentions Trolls in the first mission, but I didn't see them in there at all.
...my secret shame is that I'm SECRETLY A NEMESIS PLOT?
Oh, just hostage guards. Thank goodness.
Hostages, no clues. Glowies, no clues. I can understand not wanting anything specific but if a clue description can just be some words from the Therapist that'll be something on its own. As it is I'm giving up frobbing everything.
There was... a rogue patrol of CoT that included a boss that annihilated some dream guys? I think?
Ah, my secret shame is apparently an old flame. Alright. Shame about the melee bug, the silent knight is absolute pants against blasty mobs.
---
...fries with that hamburger? What the hell? Have I only been dreaming that I'm getting dream therapy?
Apparently so! All my happiest memories are... in the sewers. Uh huh.
...hilariously the protector with a premature MoG problem is actually the energy/regen kind.
There seems to be some infighting up ahead, dream people taking each other out. And the Knight is taking out all my apparent bad old memories - some Nightmares spawn right where a parking meter was, which couldn't have been planned.
Shame has already taken out her guards, and I think that cues a nightmare ambush... five stacked Siphon Speeds. Time to go get a drink! And I walk through more infighting to the last room - some mind/darks and an ill... dark? I think? Either way I'm glad I stocked up on break frees.
The last boss talks about how I really haven't accomplished anything, which I guess is part of breaking through this, but he mentions other sources...
Maybe once I get out this will all make sense.
...and I hit the wrong button and walked away from the closing dialogue. Wish the souvenir said something about this.
Really wish I'd gotten any clues at all, from anything. I appreciate how hard it is to cram stuff into the space provided, but, uh, without clues I'm clueless? So to speak? If there was supposed to be something weird going on I never caught a hint of it until the Door started talking trash.
Also it seems like your souvenir clobbered my list somehow, but I'm not going to ding you for that.
If you want to return the favor, arcs are in my sig. Didn't want to dump this into the thread.
Up with the overworld! Up with exploration! | Want a review of your arc?
My arcs: Dream Paper (ID: 1874) | Bricked Electronics (ID: 2180) | The Bravuran Jobs (ID: 5073) | Backwards Day (ID: 329000) | Operation Fair Trade (ID: 391172)
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Feedback from a high 40s spine/regen scrapper. (Because I want to get Mission Engineer legit, dangitall.) She's a plant person from another dimension.
If you want to return the favor, arcs are in my sig. Didn't want to dump this into the thread.
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thank you for your running commentary. i was* a bit worried at first, i thought it was a rant, but it was* great.
i am sorry about the therapist spawning on the last floor of the hospital, at all times he is* supposed to spawn in the front as* do the allies, that he triggers. but that map is* buggy and sometimes* he goes* to the back. i have not figured out a way around. i will look at it again and mess with it and see if i can make it work another way.
the ambushes* are linked to random events, but not secret shame. i am still not sure how, but they do siphon sometimes* before they get to you, which makes* them even more evil/cooler than usual.
if you really want the closing dialogue i can email it to you. it is just a debrief of all the events.
first time i heard about the souvenir thing. i will ask around and find out if that has* happened to others and bug report it. you get a certificate to hang next to your "i survived outbreak and all i got was this* stupid t-shirt" t-shirt.
i will most certainly run your arc. it makes* my list for the day. trying to get the engineer badge too....
global: ridiculous girl
Hero Therapy! (TM) - 119228
welcome to donut world - 1233
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i am sorry about the therapist spawning on the last floor of the hospital, at all times he is* supposed to spawn in the front as* do the allies, that he triggers. but that map is* buggy and sometimes* he goes* to the back. i have not figured out a way around. i will look at it again and mess with it and see if i can make it work another way.
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One of the things I have heard suggested but can't comment on the efficacy of one way or another: is he at the top of the objectives list? It seems sensible that the system should try to place the special spawns at the top of the list first, but I have no idea how it actually works out.
Up with the overworld! Up with exploration! | Want a review of your arc?
My arcs: Dream Paper (ID: 1874) | Bricked Electronics (ID: 2180) | The Bravuran Jobs (ID: 5073) | Backwards Day (ID: 329000) | Operation Fair Trade (ID: 391172)
Your last av made me have to eat five Breakfrees to even touch it, despite the helpers you provided. You MAY want to loosen it down a bit, it's a SHARP spike in difficulty compared to the rest of the arc, i had to die to get out and get inspirations. Otherwise, very trippy and cool
Left feedback ^_^
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Your last av made me have to eat five Breakfrees to even touch it, despite the helpers you provided. You MAY want to loosen it down a bit, it's a SHARP spike in difficulty compared to the rest of the arc, i had to die to get out and get inspirations. Otherwise, very trippy and cool
Left feedback ^_^
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actually i did loosehn hnim up already. i dropped hnim dowhn from extreme /dark armor to hnard. thne rez at thne ehnd was a progblem. gbut withn your scrapper, you are usually hnot very resistahnt to psychnic stuff...
thnahnks for ruhnhnihngb thnis fihnally... i will ruhn your hnewest ohne soohn. thnehn maygbe you cahn ruhn my dohnut world ohne. i hneed feedgback ohn thne comgbat of thne mihniohns...
left my text uhneditted just for you... ;p
global: ridiculous girl
Hero Therapy! (TM) - 119228
welcome to donut world - 1233
While I remember it, I thought the hospital map was creepy enough when Mother Mayhem was using it. But add some random corpses, skeletal remains and nightmarish apparitions, then stick it inside my own head? Setting a whole new level of eerie-ness in here....
Also, I agree that the final AV was a tough battle. But that mostly comes from the way the MA works with bosses and powers, I'm sure. I could handle him, but it took many Break Frees and my entire strategic arsenal as an Arch/Dev to take do so.
Rise of the Copper Legion (#60280; with soundtrack)
The Fractured Dreamer (#498588; with musical theme)
"Now Leaving: Paragon City": original composition for the end of CoH
hey G, i posted a quick review of your arc on my review page. it is my little service to you in return for your playing my arc and your commentary.
global: ridiculous girl
Hero Therapy! (TM) - 119228
welcome to donut world - 1233
Ok, played through this and found it quite enjoyable. Played it with a Level 40 Katana/Regen scrapper. I thought the theme of the arc was pulled off quite well, the only thing missing was little blue guys chasing me and hitting me with fish. ;-)
I ran into one strange glitch, which I think had to be a MA bug of some kind. With the Therapist and Vanity in tow in mission #3, I found the Steel you Lack and attacked the cowering guys next to him. Immediately one of those (a wolf) vanished along with the Therapist and Vanity. Just plain gone. Couldn't get Steel since I couldn't defeat his group without that last guy and the Therapist and Vanity never returned. Ended up defeating Secret Shame on my own, which was a bit of a challenge.
The final fight was quite challenging indeed, wasn't sure if I would be able to pull it off until I did, the Door kept healing up and smacking me around. Ran twice to regroup and re-engage, without Secret Shame's help I don't think I could have taken him. I enjoyed the references scattered here and there and laughed a few times.
One other comment is that I never could find Steel in mission #2 and when the briefing for one mission said that I had encountered more of the little Nightmares (man, those things can be tough), I had just gone through a mission without being attacked by any of them, oddly enough. I think this is just some of the MA variability at work though, some of my tests on my own missions saw placements change randomly to out of the way locations.
Overall, highly recommended. Very imaginative and well executed, definitely more fun than just about any standard game story arc.
5 Stars.
[ QUOTE ]
Ok, played through this and found it quite enjoyable. Played it with a Level 40 Katana/Regen scrapper. I thought the theme of the arc was pulled off quite well, the only thing missing was little blue guys chasing me and hitting me with fish. ;-)
I ran into one strange glitch, which I think had to be a MA bug of some kind. With the Therapist and Vanity in tow in mission #3, I found the Steel you Lack and attacked the cowering guys next to him. Immediately one of those (a wolf) vanished along with the Therapist and Vanity. Just plain gone. Couldn't get Steel since I couldn't defeat his group without that last guy and the Therapist and Vanity never returned. Ended up defeating Secret Shame on my own, which was a bit of a challenge.
The final fight was quite challenging indeed, wasn't sure if I would be able to pull it off until I did, the Door kept healing up and smacking me around. Ran twice to regroup and re-engage, without Secret Shame's help I don't think I could have taken him. I enjoyed the references scattered here and there and laughed a few times.
One other comment is that I never could find Steel in mission #2 and when the briefing for one mission said that I had encountered more of the little Nightmares (man, those things can be tough), I had just gone through a mission without being attacked by any of them, oddly enough. I think this is just some of the MA variability at work though, some of my tests on my own missions saw placements change randomly to out of the way locations.
Overall, highly recommended. Very imaginative and well executed, definitely more fun than just about any standard game story arc.
5 Stars.
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thank you very much for playing.
that is the first time i have heard of that bug. i have seen secret shame disappear and reappear on the outdoor map. not sure how or why. i tried to make some chahnges but i am really at a loss as to how. it is that map somehow and maybe the mobs... not sure.
the hospital map has odd spawning points. the therapist and the allies should always appear in the front. but sometimes the therapist appears in the last room and the others are scattered. vanity always appears in the right place though. i am trying to fix this some how. not sure how though.
the ambushes appear for different reasons, they have semi random triggers. you will not know what starts them off and it takes time for them to come in. you must have just missed the trigger somehow.
but thank you for playing and the feedback. i will see what i can do to fix those oddities.
global: ridiculous girl
Hero Therapy! (TM) - 119228
welcome to donut world - 1233
I hereby endorse this arc o.ob
oh yeah... i just republished some changes. i was just made aware that one of my maps had changed. i wish they would invalidate an arc rather just replace the map. that sometimes blows the entire setting. imagine my surprise when i find out that my burning outdoors map suddenly becomes and indoor map. other changes reflect changes made to the powers of custom toons. hopefully these changes are an improvement, they based on the feedback i have gotten.
global: ridiculous girl
Hero Therapy! (TM) - 119228
welcome to donut world - 1233
GAH! WRONG THREAD! <smears text>
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GAH! WRONG THREAD! <smears text>
[/ QUOTE ]
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
global: ridiculous girl
Hero Therapy! (TM) - 119228
welcome to donut world - 1233
I found the arc to be pretty amusing, and for the most part, pretty solid. The only thing I really have to note is that in the last mission, the AV spawned right next to a battle for me. Made for an... um... "interesting" fight, especially as an ambush had also caught up to me right at that moment. Thankfully, my Scrapper generally has no problems with situations like that, being level 50 and SR. Elude's a wonderful thing.
My suggestion I guess would be that if your battles are set to spawn at "any", to switch them to spawn at "middle" to try and prevent this situation.
you know what? i ran into that too, last night... i will fix that battle thing. thanks for the play, laserjesus!
global: ridiculous girl
Hero Therapy! (TM) - 119228
welcome to donut world - 1233
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)
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