I15's "Other Improvements to MA" ...such as?
By
Chyron HR,
Posted on: 2009-04-28 07:56 in Mission Architect
Well, one positive thing and a bunch of unknowns. We're not sure if they're fluff or not.
But, yeah, more info would be nice. Maybe as we get closer to it.
Dec out.
I hope they resolve the bugs in the text system. The old <color> tags still aren't working right with keyboard bind files, and chat-activating binds that are bound to a normal ASCII character duplicate that character as the first character in the text input!
Another huge improvement in my opinion would be to move the text filtering from input-time to submit-time... let our keyboards be free of checking for profanity/whatever with every single key-press!
In my opinion, the text editing system needs to be re-done before anything more should be added, and to be honest, I know it may be a QoL feature for a lot of people, but I'd pay $9.99 for just that feature properly done... I want my friggin' paragraphs again! 
I believe that a Kheldian Gold Standard should be based on SO's, and for anything above that... there's Platinum!
Save Ms. Liberty (#5349) � Augmenting Peacebringers � The Umbra Illuminati
Save Ms. Liberty (#5349) � Augmenting Peacebringers � The Umbra Illuminati
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* Missions can now be selected for both "Hall of Fame" and "Dev Choice," allowing players to attain both badges. "Dev Choice" missions also have selectable reward types.
I'm not seeing the point of this, given HoF is Unobtainium due to the steep ratings requirement and DC is applying to less than 1% of all arcs. This is a benefit that only a handful of people will see, so why does it merit a bullet point? And who would be dense enough to take what's behind Door Number Two when this is one of the only ways to get a mission slot?
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Maybe by "selectable reward types" they're referring to the rewards the player gets for completing the arc? Such as choosing between bonus xp, merits, tickets, etc.
I agree, for the creator there really doesn't seem to be any reward they can give that would be preferable to getting another arc slot.
Eva Destruction AR/Fire/Munitions Blaster
Darkfire Avenger DM/SD/Body Scrapper
Arc ID#161629 Freaks, Geeks, and Men in Black
Arc ID#431270 Until the End of the World
Thanks for posting this.
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Enhanced searching and navigation options like key phrase tagging and arc difficulty display help players find the content they're looking for even faster.
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My first reaction upon seeing the MA was that better browser tools would be needed. Right now, the only 'safe bet' for getting a decent MA arc is to either play something that has been played a lot already, play Dev Choice, or play something by an author whom the person already knows. Hopefully the tags will lessen this behavior.
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Maybe by "selectable reward types" they're referring to the rewards the player gets for completing the arc? Such as choosing between bonus xp, merits, tickets, etc.
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Aha! Yes, I think you're right -- when you read the grammar that way it makes a lot of sense, AND it could apply to current DC arcs. A lot of folks skip DCs because they thirst for tickets, after all.
Alright, that's a positive. It's still a fluffy positive, a nicety, but a positive nonetheless. I do hope there's something in the "Other" pile devoted to slots, though, if not that.
Global @Twoflower / MA Creator & Pro Indie Game Developer.
Mission Architect Works: DIY Laser Moonbase (Dev Choice!), An Internship in the Fine Art of Revenge (2009 MA Award Winner!) and many more! Plus Brand New Arcs for Issue 21!
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According to the I15 release, we're gonna be getting...
* Architect toolbox allows players to better and more easily polish their content before sharing it with the public.
No clue what this is, so, no reason to get excited about it yet. I could speculate but I'd rather go with what we've been given. If it was actual NEW features, like new goal types or new content, I doubt it'd be described as "polishing" tools, though. If it's just wizards and spellchecks, then eh. Nice, but eh.
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I imagine that this is some sort of interface that we can open while we're testing our missions, to make changes on the fly.
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* Missions can now be selected for both "Hall of Fame" and "Dev Choice," allowing players to attain both badges. "Dev Choice" missions also have selectable reward types.
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I figured that the early bird mission builders would be most likely to get the high ratings. With many thousands of missions published now, I wonder how many really good missions worthy of these distinctions won't get played at all.
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* Plus several other features and improvements to Mission Architect
...THIS has me scratching my head. It's a catch-all of "And more!" which means you can't say for certain what is and is not going to change.
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I'm hoping to be able to add proximity bombs. It would also be nice to be able to place objects on maps and lock them down, including destructible objects and mobs. And I wouldn't mind the option to place destructible doors (like those in the prison cells).
Goldbrick 50 inv/ss tank
Other 50s: Power Beam, Rocky Mantle, STORMIE Agent, Matchless, Major Will, Knightmayor, Femstone, Space Maureen, Crimebuster Ako, Dr. Twilight, Doc Champion, American Gold Eagle
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...I'm hoping to be able to add proximity bombs...
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They are essentially there, but their graphic model is an Arachnos design. Look under the Arachnos enemy groups for something like an "Arachnos Missile Drone" or something similar.
I believe that a Kheldian Gold Standard should be based on SO's, and for anything above that... there's Platinum!
Save Ms. Liberty (#5349) � Augmenting Peacebringers � The Umbra Illuminati
Save Ms. Liberty (#5349) � Augmenting Peacebringers � The Umbra Illuminati
I'd most like to have arc forking.
Multiple selectable paths through a mission arc... fight the end boss first, or do some side missions to make him weaker?
Root around on the docks for clues, or try and wipe out the base and hope someone squeels...
Fight the ice monster or the fire demon in their lair...
A bunch of clues can tell you where to search, the warehouse, the disco, oranbega... use your brain and figure it out or brute force it and crush everything... but watch that arc timer!
And so on.
The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie!
Alright, according to a Massively interview just posted, they're CONSIDERING microtransaction slots (and confirmed no veteran reward ones).
Which means my #1 focus feature request is probably not in I15, if they're still at the "considering" stage. Damn.
Global @Twoflower / MA Creator & Pro Indie Game Developer.
Mission Architect Works: DIY Laser Moonbase (Dev Choice!), An Internship in the Fine Art of Revenge (2009 MA Award Winner!) and many more! Plus Brand New Arcs for Issue 21!
One improvement I'd like to see is getting rid of the 1-5 stars system and replacing it with the ability to either vote an arc up or do nothing (important: no option to vote an arc down).
Reporting the number of "thumbs ups" an arc gets would give a better idea of quality than the current system, or at least no worse, and have the advantage of being far less griefable. One possible positive vote per arc per global. Votes could be tallied and then people could sort by raw score, percentage of people that completed the arc that voted positive, or whatever. Removing the ability to vote an arc down hurts nothing and stops things like the badge griefing and ratings wars that have already taken place. The relative merit of an arc can still be measured by comparing # of completions to # of positive votes.
I like that idea Thumbs up or not and send a comment. Then on the browser we need real numbers indicating how many started the arc, how many finished it, and how many gave it a thumbs up.
I also agree that something MUST be done about the lousy text editing. Cursors suddenly missing, typing not going in until after you re-arrange things, whole sections missing after a paste, especially if you paste to add, and yes where are my freakin paragraphs (applies to my personal Bio as well)!?
I have a lot of other things I want but it doesn't sound like they are addressing those unless they are in the "And More!" category... standard mob name editing, NPC powers availability, more options to make testing easier (I hope that's the toolbox thing).
I'm hoping the toolbox reference may refer to fixing the overall present text-editing toolkit... but I'm afraid I'll be disappointed.
I believe that a Kheldian Gold Standard should be based on SO's, and for anything above that... there's Platinum!
Save Ms. Liberty (#5349) � Augmenting Peacebringers � The Umbra Illuminati
Save Ms. Liberty (#5349) � Augmenting Peacebringers � The Umbra Illuminati
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One improvement I'd like to see is getting rid of the 1-5 stars system and replacing it with the ability to either vote an arc up or do nothing (important: no option to vote an arc down).
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Yes, please. The way the rating system and its attendant rewards are currently set up, anything below 4 stars harms an arc writer. Since the current system boils down to thumbs up or thumbs down, it may as well be formalized as such.
With a five-star system, you'd think a decent arc would get three stars, with more for a good arc and less for a lousy one. I suspect very few people actually three-star average arcs...
Up or nothing? I think I'll stand firmly against that. I think making the ratings into a "fluffy bunny" system is going way too far to counter griefers.
Dec out.
I'll second the no to up or nothing. There's a huge difference between a 3-star arc and a 5-star arc. The writer of a paper mission shouldn't be getting the same recognition as the writer of an ITF.
Hopefully after all the Anniversary stuff is done we'll start seeing an outcry of "WTF? I can't use MA?" as the ratings griefers and repeat farm-makers are systematically banned from the Mission Architect...like the devs said would happen.
Eva Destruction AR/Fire/Munitions Blaster
Darkfire Avenger DM/SD/Body Scrapper
Arc ID#161629 Freaks, Geeks, and Men in Black
Arc ID#431270 Until the End of the World
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I'd most like to have arc forking.
Multiple selectable paths through a mission arc... fight the end boss first, or do some side missions to make him weaker?
Root around on the docks for clues, or try and wipe out the base and hope someone squeels...
Fight the ice monster or the fire demon in their lair...
A bunch of clues can tell you where to search, the warehouse, the disco, oranbega... use your brain and figure it out or brute force it and crush everything... but watch that arc timer!
And so on.
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This is something i would really like to see as well. I would love the ability to write it so the next mission would depend on whether the person succeded or failed the previous mission.
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The writer of a paper mission shouldn't be getting the same recognition as the writer of an ITF.
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Agreed. Unfortunately, it's not the ITF writers getting most of the recognition.
I have observed a strong tendency to rate arcs either 1 if you dont' like it, or 4 or 5, if you thought it was okay or better.
Assume for the sake of argument that my observations are typical. The rating system is then already thumbs up or thumbs down. The only difference is that it allows for 'mistakes' (ratings of 2 or 3 stars), and for thumbs-up that can actually hurt your chances of high recognition (a high number of 4s dragging you below a 4.5 average).
In this case, switching to a binary vote system would only simplify manners and prevent harmful thumbs-up.
I agree there are more beneficial ways of tweaking the rating system.
I'd like to see reward for having an arc rated 3 or better, with a certain number of votes. This would hopefully dampen mark inflation for positive votes, bringing in more 3s and 4s and restricting 5s to exceptional content (or a friend/sg-mate's arc; that's bound to happen no matter what).
That's one big problem I see with the rating system right now: people know that the author won't have a chance at an extra arc slot unless they rate them 4 or 5.
It'd be really nice if the reward for an arc that was 'decent fun' were a new arc slot, or a fraction of one. Say, for every three arcs with a 3.0 or higher rating by X amount of people, a new arc slot would open up.
I'm tossing these ideas out merely for discussion's sake, and am not particularly attached to any one of them. 
I'm hoping to see some interesting discussion of how to fix a rating system that appears to be failing at its function of highlighting worthwhile content and separating it from not-as-great stuff.
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* New Server-wide Architect Chat channel
Eh. Guess it could be helpful, but players have already made plenty of public global channels for author assistance.
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A.K.A. the farming channel. At least that's what I'm gonna use it for.
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That's one big problem I see with the rating system right now: people know that the author won't have a chance at an extra arc slot unless they rate them 4 or 5.
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5, actually. A 4 will only hurt your rating when it comes to the Hall of Fame, because it's set to 4.5. The ONLY vote which can help you is a 5.
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It'd be really nice if the reward for an arc that was 'decent fun' were a new arc slot, or a fraction of one. Say, for every three arcs with a 3.0 or higher rating by X amount of people, a new arc slot would open up.
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A reasonable measure, I agree.
Global @Twoflower / MA Creator & Pro Indie Game Developer.
Mission Architect Works: DIY Laser Moonbase (Dev Choice!), An Internship in the Fine Art of Revenge (2009 MA Award Winner!) and many more! Plus Brand New Arcs for Issue 21!
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* Missions can now be selected for both "Hall of Fame" and "Dev Choice," allowing players to attain both badges.
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If I understand correctly, Devs' Choice arcs get automatic 5-star averages, they get top billing in the MA interface, and players need to play them to earn badges.
If so, wouldn't being awarded Devs' Choice effectively give you the Hall of Fame badge, thereby devaluing it quite a bit?
"Force player completion to rate" option on missions
Oh please oh please oh please.
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* Architect toolbox allows players to better and more easily polish their content before sharing it with the public.
No clue what this is, so, no reason to get excited about it yet. I could speculate but I'd rather go with what we've been given. If it was actual NEW features, like new goal types or new content, I doubt it'd be described as "polishing" tools, though. If it's just wizards and spellchecks, then eh. Nice, but eh.
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I hope that this means we'll get a "Rough Draft Mode" or the ability to republish from the local file so that we can test changes to our published arcs without making them visible for everyone.
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* Enhanced searching and navigation options like key phrase tagging and arc difficulty display help players find the content they're looking for even faster
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I hope they relax the arc file size limit if this is going to be stored inside it as well, space is already at a premium for a lot of arcs.
I'd like a Hiro style walk-through ability to check initial static placements and an interact to trigger mob speech, interact text, or fire triggers. This should include selecting the "player" level and difficulty setting.
Or at the least thumbtacks on a blow-up of the mission map showing object and spawn placements. And in game objective re-ordering.
I'll keep branching and interactive dialogs on my wish list for now.
It may be a pipe dream, but two things I'd like to see are custom maps, (Even if it's simple like bases are.), and being able to specifically place enemies.
According to the I15 release, we're gonna be getting...
* Architect toolbox allows players to better and more easily polish their content before sharing it with the public.
No clue what this is, so, no reason to get excited about it yet. I could speculate but I'd rather go with what we've been given. If it was actual NEW features, like new goal types or new content, I doubt it'd be described as "polishing" tools, though. If it's just wizards and spellchecks, then eh. Nice, but eh.
* Missions can now be selected for both "Hall of Fame" and "Dev Choice," allowing players to attain both badges. "Dev Choice" missions also have selectable reward types.
I'm not seeing the point of this, given HoF is Unobtainium due to the steep ratings requirement and DC is applying to less than 1% of all arcs. This is a benefit that only a handful of people will see, so why does it merit a bullet point? And who would be dense enough to take what's behind Door Number Two when this is one of the only ways to get a mission slot?
* Enhanced searching and navigation options like key phrase tagging and arc difficulty display help players find the content they're looking for even faster
THIS I like. The playerbase has been calling for tags for awhile, and this should help people find the kinds of content they want without relying on sort-by-ratings or throwing darts.
* New Server-wide Architect Chat channel
Eh. Guess it could be helpful, but players have already made plenty of public global channels for author assistance.
* Plus several other features and improvements to Mission Architect
...THS has me scratching my head. It's a catch-all of "And more!" which means you can't say for certain what is and is not going to change.
I'm hoping we can get some clarification here on what else is making the cut. A lot of things weren't addressed above. Such as:
Ratings -- The HoF requirement has proven mathematically to be incredibly steep. Only one arc to date has gotten it, and it kept wobbling on and off until eventually it fell out for good. Other display issues abound (front page pushoffs when you go from 5 stars to 4 stars, only showing ratings rounded to an integer, zero star ratings causing arcs to plummet, etc)
Acceptability of Content -- Regardless of whether you're pro or anti farming, you probably wanna know more about what's considered acceptable so you know what's safe to build or what's appropriate to report on. Are any changes coming to render the usual suspects moot? Any language offered to clear things up? Is it being kept purposefully vague? (Likely the latter, and I won't lose sleep if so, but stony silence helps no one.)
Slots -- This is my number one concern. All this is lovely and all, but my slots are full. I'm gonna be able to make NO use of your shiny polishing toolbox if I can't write anymore. Microtransactions? Veteran rewards? Accolades? Or are we just getting nothing whatsoever?
As is, I'm seeing only one positive thing (tag searches) and a bunch of fluff, with no attention to the core issues with MA. Hopefully "Other Improvements" is going to address the above in some manner.
Global @Twoflower / MA Creator & Pro Indie Game Developer.
Mission Architect Works: DIY Laser Moonbase (Dev Choice!), An Internship in the Fine Art of Revenge (2009 MA Award Winner!) and many more! Plus Brand New Arcs for Issue 21!