I can't believe nobody commented on this! Great guide!
Larry: Owen, what the hell did you do to my wife?
Owen: Well I don't want to say on the phone - all I can tell you is that I killed her last night.
Nice guide - linked this on the EU boards. 
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- Clear Objectives
Players must understand what they need to do for a mission objective the task listed in the nav must be clear. Look for clues is not clear, nor is investigate. Search computer, Defeat Big Bad are clear. Players will quit missions if they cannot figure out how to complete them.
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Broke this one in one of my missions as there were (iirc) 3 required glowies of different types - so a single mission objective of "3 pieces of evidence to find" looked better than something like "search the computer for financial records, search the filing cabinet, search the other computer".
But then, most of these rules are good rules until a good reason comes up to break them!
Very good guide, dug. I can only hope a lot of people see it.
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- Do Not Repeat a Mission
If the purpose of mission 1 is to destroy a mind control device, do not have mission 2 be to destroy another mind control device (same with finding out information, preventing a kidnapping, etc). Repeating the same purpose in another mission feels like filler, even with a cool map. Maybe another hero or the police took out the other devices. Or maybe there was only one (you are writing the arc, you make it fit your needs). The plot needs to develop thats how a story works.
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The Dev's Choice arc "Opera of the Abyss" is a good example of this, where the second mission repeats the first mission's basic objective of "destroy an object" but adds to it by ramping up the consequences by making it "dangerous device version 2.0."
The Alt Alphabet ~ OPC: Other People's Characters ~ Terrific Screenshots of Cool ~ Superhero Fiction
Lots of good advice here. One thing I hadn't given much thought to were the possibilities for "object" objectives, making them non-required and providing flavor.
I myself have 3 missions in a row that are rescue hostages. I need to delete the 2nd mission - which is a straight repeat of the first on a different map. I just can't bring myself to do it. But cutting my arc to 4 missions would make it tighter and give me space in the file for adding clues and some extra descriptions.
It is bad when you fall in love with the details and not the overall arc.
Great stuff! Thanks for the guide.
Best thing about this guide is the combination of "common sense" advice, as well as some insightful comments about the relationship between the player and MA.
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- Do Not Repeat a Mission
If the purpose of mission 1 is to destroy a mind control device, do not have mission 2 be to destroy another mind control device (same with finding out information, preventing a kidnapping, etc). Repeating the same purpose in another mission feels like filler, even with a cool map. Maybe another hero or the police took out the other devices. Or maybe there was only one (you are writing the arc, you make it fit your needs). The plot needs to develop thats how a story works.
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I'm still kicking over an issue with this rule. I agree with it in theory, but the arc I'm working on right now is sort of like a time travel thing and part of it I was thinking to do would involve a follow-up to a previous mission where you'd go back and undo something you did earlier, which would mean - yes - the same map, pretty much the same clickies, etc. There'd be a cosmetic change or two along the way, but...
Anyone got any ideas on that? Think it's worth it or too likely to annoy? There's a reasonable chance I may drop it anyways as I have six missions in my head for the arc, but for some reason that's one to many.
Meh, not a big fan of the idea that following "rules" will make an arc "great". Cookie cutter rules produce cookie cutter arcs. But will agree that guide has a modicum of common sense that bears consideration.
One man's terrorist is another man's freedom (or freem?) fighter; just as one man's exploit is another man's feature.
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- Do Not Repeat a Mission
If the purpose of mission 1 is to destroy a mind control device, do not have mission 2 be to destroy another mind control device (same with finding out information, preventing a kidnapping, etc). Repeating the same purpose in another mission feels like filler, even with a cool map. Maybe another hero or the police took out the other devices. Or maybe there was only one (you are writing the arc, you make it fit your needs). The plot needs to develop thats how a story works.
[/ QUOTE ]
I'm still kicking over an issue with this rule. I agree with it in theory, but the arc I'm working on right now is sort of like a time travel thing and part of it I was thinking to do would involve a follow-up to a previous mission where you'd go back and undo something you did earlier, which would mean - yes - the same map, pretty much the same clickies, etc. There'd be a cosmetic change or two along the way, but...
Anyone got any ideas on that? Think it's worth it or too likely to annoy? There's a reasonable chance I may drop it anyways as I have six missions in my head for the arc, but for some reason that's one to many.
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You can always try it and see what you and people think. When movies and tv shows have someone re-do something - they make it shorter the next time. Think Groundhog day - you don't go through the entire day each time. That would be boring.
You can't really do that here. But you can make the mission short to begin with.
there is an arc I've just seen reviewed
A Tangle in Time - 2622
I haven't played it, but the review says it is repeating missions with time travel - and it is rated 5 stars.
So it can be done.
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Meh, not a big fan of the idea that following "rules" will make an arc "great". Cookie cutter rules produce cookie cutter arcs. But will agree that guide has a modicum of common sense that bears consideration.
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You have to know what the rules are to judge whether breaking them in a particular case is valid. The original poster said he breaks the rules himself, so he's obviously not advocating cookie cutter missions.
For example, one of my pet peeves is Defeat All missions. I hate them. They are a lazy way to construct missions. But sometimes they do make sense story-wise. They're acceptable on tiny or small map that has regular walls where the mobs don't get stuck all the time. Like the bank maps: most of them are very small and you pass by every spawn in the mission to get to the vault. So, a defeat all on that map is fine.
But generally, there's no reason to have a defeat all mission. You should have one or more real objectives, with one positioned in the back. That way a player who wants to defeat all (to maximize tickets or XP) will be able to hit most everything before ending the mission. Players that don't care can bypass some mobs as desired.
Writing missions is like any creative writing endeavor. A good writer has a grasp of what has worked well before (that is, "knows the rules"), and uses that knowledge to put a twist on that to make something that satisfies the same needs in a novel way.
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Writing missions is like any creative writing endeavor. A good writer has a grasp of what has worked well before (that is, "knows the rules"), and uses that knowledge to put a twist on that to make something that satisfies the same needs in a novel way.
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I hear what you are saying and I bear no malice towards the OP or yourself. It's just that when it comes to the MA in general, I would like to see a whole lot more on the creative side and a whole lot less conformity than what we are currently seeing for arcs to be considered in the "great" class.
A lot of the points in this guide to me are at the "high school English level" (just a step above "check your spelling"). I cannot argue that it's bad advice...just not necessarily a blueprint to greatness (or even possibly "goodness"). I guess my expectations are a bit higher. And, like I said, I'm not a big fan of numbered rules for creative endeavors in the first place.
Anyway, I've had my say and appreciate being heard. I hope that those that need the structure or some insight into the basics find this guide useful. Nothing more from me on this topic.
One man's terrorist is another man's freedom (or freem?) fighter; just as one man's exploit is another man's feature.
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Players must understand what they need to do for a mission objective the task listed in the nav must be clear. Look for clues is not clear, nor is investigate. Search computer, Defeat Big Bad are clear. Players will quit missions if they cannot figure out how to complete them.
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I feel free to break this one fairly often, in the name of suspense and misdirection. Some, perhaps many, objectives can be added as red herrings, or simply as places to insert flavor text.
Also, misdirection ought to be a possibility. Your statement says "2 hostages to rescue", but there is only one hostage, and the second "hostage" is completed when somebody clicks on the Pile of Bones.
"Look for clues" is perfectly acceptable if you add a boss or a glowie that screams at the player, "Hey! I'm a clue!" That NPC making the long speech is somebody you may need to fight or visit.
<《 New Colchis / Guides / Mission Architect 》>
"At what point do we say, 'You're mucking with our myths'?" - Harlan Ellison
I find that what an author thinks is clever and acceptable and what a player does is often very different.
Small maps make up for just about everything - you can have a defeat all and the vaguest clues in a map with 5 spawns. Putting that on Outdoor Map 2 and it is very different.
The pile of bones, bodybag, etc I am okay with - because you still have some idea.
"Look for clues" I don't like. Nothing screams at the player (I play without sound, so that's literally true). If you really set up the mission as being a detective story - I might by it. But for general superheroes it just feels both bland and out of place.
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"Look for clues" I don't like. Nothing screams at the player (I play without sound, so that's literally true). If you really set up the mission as being a detective story - I might by it. But for general superheroes it just feels both bland and out of place.
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So you're not a fan of Batman the Animated Series then?
I had a very long lengthy response to your guide that my crashed internet ate so you're getting the shorter version now. But I really really really really strongly disagree with your "missions have to be clear in all ways" and "Tell the player exactly what to expect from start to finish."
What that does is make the mission nothing more than a game of killing mobs and not thinking a moment about the why, or the how beyond "yes I have a good reason for doing this".
Good storytelling requires the storyteller to hold the audience in some form of suspense from start to finish. There has to be an incentive to read the next page in the book, to go into the next chapter, otherwise why continue? Even with the 18th century convention of titling chapters with "In which we discover... blah blah.." the title was vague enough to get the reader to go "wait, what? How'd that happen?" and then read on.
I would really suggest that ~great~ arcs have you guessing from start to finish but when you reach your climax and then resolution every stray detail makes sense.
A writer should lay it all out at the top, seed the story with hints and forshadowing, and then go from here.
Mr. O
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"Look for clues" I don't like. Nothing screams at the player (I play without sound, so that's literally true). If you really set up the mission as being a detective story - I might by it. But for general superheroes it just feels both bland and out of place.
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So you're not a fan of Batman the Animated Series then?
I had a very long lengthy response to your guide that my crashed internet ate so you're getting the shorter version now. But I really really really really strongly disagree with your "missions have to be clear in all ways" and "Tell the player exactly what to expect from start to finish."
What that does is make the mission nothing more than a game of killing mobs and not thinking a moment about the why, or the how beyond "yes I have a good reason for doing this".
Good storytelling requires the storyteller to hold the audience in some form of suspense from start to finish. There has to be an incentive to read the next page in the book, to go into the next chapter, otherwise why continue? Even with the 18th century convention of titling chapters with "In which we discover... blah blah.." the title was vague enough to get the reader to go "wait, what? How'd that happen?" and then read on.
I would really suggest that ~great~ arcs have you guessing from start to finish but when you reach your climax and then resolution every stray detail makes sense.
A writer should lay it all out at the top, seed the story with hints and forshadowing, and then go from here.
Mr. O
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Batman is a detective.
"Tell the player exactly what to expect from start to finish."
I just did a search and that sentence you quoted never appears in my guide. So I appreciate that you made up your own guide, pretended that I wrote it, and then attacked it.
Now could you read my guide and comment on it?
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"Look for clues" I don't like. Nothing screams at the player (I play without sound, so that's literally true). If you really set up the mission as being a detective story - I might by it. But for general superheroes it just feels both bland and out of place.
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Since objectives can be chain linked, it might be an intriguing concept to make the "clue" vague, purposely set up an Ally/Escort, and then make the NPC reveal more of the plot.
Actually, I like the idea of throwing in a wild goose chase or 2 for 'effect'. One of my arcs had something like that in one of the missions, but thanks to the file constraints, I had to cut them out. I had set up a couple of glowies that looked like they might be what the player should be looking for, but they were 'dummies'. I think it adds the flavor of a real search, where you might have to look in several 'possible' places before you find what you're really looking for at all.
The guide is a still a very nice little synopsis of ideas and suggestions to follow, for the most part, with the caveat that it's still ok to break the rules occasionally, if the story requires it. Beginners that are just starting out can find some good information that will, hopefully, help them to avoid some of the pitfalls that others have already experienced. Good job.
No AV/EBs Deal with The Devil's Pawn-207266 Slash DeMento and the Stolen Weapons-100045 Meet the Demon Spawn-151099 Feedback
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Now could you read my guide and comment on it?
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Okay, pardon me for paraphrasing:
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- Tell the Player the Plot Upfront
Do not string the player along with just enough info for each mission. That makes it seem random and made up on the spot. Tell the player what the plot is but feel free to change it. First you must find out Big Bads plot from his minions, than you must stop his plot, then you must defeat Big Bad. This tells the player there is a story, it gives the early missions a purpose in the overall arc instead of just being filler.
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I read your guide and I think that telling a player in the first contact text what the entire story is going to be is a bad move. I think it ruins every ounce of suspense and engagement. It says "okay, here's the full story now go out there and do it" while all the player has to think about for the next 10 to 60 minutes is what to beat up. Not once will a player think "gee I wander what's going to happen next?"
Because if we follow your guide, we'll tell them what's going to happen next before they start.
And I think that's a bad choice in design. I'd find those missions horrifically bland and boring no matter how interesting you tried to make that intro text to have a story devoid of twists, turns and surprises would completely divest the story of anything of interest to me.
I read your guide and I took exception to part of it that I paraphrased down to the basics rather than quoting the entire block of text. I'm not sure why you're so defensive that someone disagrees with you here.
Edit to add:
And if you go back and read my critique rather than reading the first line and dismissing me, you'll see I emphasised the importance of having a big overarching theme and plot already planned out that you can then use to seed the early missions with hints and clues and forshadowing as to what the twists are going to be. That way as the player(s) near the end of the arc they can see the pieces coming together in a neat and organized way but one that they did not see upon first glace.
It's that kind of story telling that seperates movies with predictable and cliched plots from those that really stand out as engaging from start to finish. Unless I just want to watch special effects I don't get a lot out of a movie I can predict the plot of in the first 10 minutes and I look at story arcs the same way.
So better advice to a writer is to plan the entire arc from start to finish, consider how to give hints the player can pick up on, and then start to break the story up so that each twist is new, different, and while somewhat unexpected not illogical.
so your new version is closer to what I said. But still not what I said.
"I think that telling a player in the first contact text what the entire story is going to be is a bad move."
your words - is not
"Tell the player what the plot is but feel free to change it. "
The plot is not the entire story. You keep using words like "entire" and "exactly". Which are not what I said.
It is not paraphrasing to change the meaning of my guide.
For instance I could claim that you said that the first mission should consist only of clues which tell exactly what is going to happen and reveal ahead of time all of the plot twists. Of course you didn't say that. But I could "paraphrase" to mean that.
And a mission arc is not a movie - if you write one like a movie, it will be bad. In a movie the audience is passive. They watch the events unfold and cannot control them. In an arc the player must feel that they and their character are in control. Arcs where you just do what you are told are lame - people have complained about them for years.
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And a mission arc is not a movie - if you write one like a movie, it will be bad. In a movie the audience is passive. They watch the events unfold and cannot control them. In an arc the player must feel that they and their character are in control. Arcs where you just do what you are told are lame - people have complained about them for years.
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No. An arc written like a good movie is a good arc. Why?
Because the a good movie doesn't allow the viewer to be a passive observer in the story. It engages the viewer to try to figure out the story along with the characters. It gets the viewer to empathize with the characters on some level either to love them or hate them, to cheer for their success for their failure.
And that's done by keeping the audience involved from start to finish. To switch to a book analogy, it's what keeps them turning pages and deciding to read "just one more chapter".
The more you tell a player about the overarching story at the start the less interested they're going to be in seeing it all the way through. You practically contridict yourself. First you say tell them everything (with the caveat to change it up) but then you say that they hate to be just plain told what to do.
That's because players want to feel like they're involved, that they, the player and their character are figuring this all out as they go along. They don't want to be told "okay, first you need to shut down the factory, then you need to find the secret formula, then go arrest the boss." They want to be told "there's something going on at that abandoned factory", then when they've gotten some clues from it 'decide' that they should probably track down the secret formula. And once they realize the scope of that formula they can't risk letting it's creator walk free. Done right the players don't feel like they're being randomly strung along, nor that they have no choice (even though honestly they don't, the story is linear by design). Instead they feel like they are leading a great story from start to finish.
And again, you say early in the guide not to try to do what the AE missions cannot do, but then you want us to make the players feel like they're being told what to do. All missions in CoX are linear by nature. They all are "here's what you do, go do it" in nature, so there is no avoiding that. So rather than ruining the story for the players by laying most of it out at the start it's even MORE important that we pace the story for them so that they are involved and engaged at it's reveals.
As to not being superheroic, I would also point out to you that in the CoX universe, nearly every criminal organization is superpowered. That means that if a cop sees some Tsoo poking around a warehouse they're not going in. THey're calling a superhero for the 'grunt' work of investigating it. That's a big part of the CoX canon and really can't be avoided. Yes you can write arcs that are epic showdowns from start to finish, but I don't believe at all that it makes for a bad arc to send them off on simpler missions like looking for evidence against an organization (which can lead to somethign epic as a bigger plot is revealed) or to simply rescue some hostages (one of which can lead to something more epic).
I usually ask myself about the motivation of the Quest giver, that'll helps me prepare how and what to tell to the heroes/villains.
A 'testing/proving' mission? Yes - cause he's not really testing what they can do, but what kind of people they are and how to work with them - he wants to make sure they are up for the (heroic) breaking and entering he has planned for later.
Not telling about Plan B? Yes - it's a desperate measure, he'd rather not go there and he certainly doesn't want to tell people he's willing to go there yet if it turns out he doesn't have to.
If the questgiver is emotionally affected (anger/ fear/ love/ hate) this could also affect the way he deals out the job.
It's important not to make the "Man in Grey" the main hero in the saga and the players secondaries - but still - what would Luke be without Obi-Wan to poke him along, but it's a balance.
//AtCbM// www.crystalblue.dk
Victory - Mare,Dagger of Pain,Keep,Hogun and Bloodpetal
The Keep-Arcs: 164260, 188373, 192610, 196090 and funny side-chapter 218575.
Mender-Arc: 266163
"Not telling about Plan B? Yes - it's a desperate measure, he'd rather not go there and he certainly doesn't want to tell people he's willing to go there yet if it turns out he doesn't have to."
You shouldn't tell about Plan B. I say that you should feel free to change the plot.
Star Wars plot as told to Luke - we have this droid with information, we find a pilot and fly to Alderan and give them the plans.
The get there and the planet is blown up and the plot changes - perfectly fine. Luke knew that there was a plan and what the big picture was. It changed, and he found out it changed.
Bad Star Wars: Luke is told to go to find a pilot. Finds pilot, told to fly to planet. Get to planet, told there is a secret to tell to king. He feels like a chump the whole time.
Note that in Star Wars Luke doesn't start out knowing about the secret plans, the rebellion, etc. But the audience does. The movie starts off with text about the Death Star, and Leia being captured.
Detective stories do not start out "look around the office and see if something happened". They start off with someone being killed and the detective knowing from the start the crime committed, its importance - then they try to figure it out.
Guide To Making A Great Story Mission Arc
These are rules to making a great story arc. They are hard to follow I do not follow all of them in my arc, and I have the complaints to show for it. You can see these as rules, guidelines, or a challenge to violate while making a great arc. The choice is yours, the arc is yours.
Rule #1
The end result that comes out on a players screen is what matters, not the effort you put in, not the ideas you had. You have to do what is possible in MA. A great idea that does not work in practice makes a bad arc. If you have great ideas that the technology does not support, note it for later when the tech improves.
Rule #2
A great arc is great in every way. Arcs have many elements plot, intro text, mobs, maps, objectives. Being a great arc means being great in every way, not just doing one element well and having the rest be average. What makes player arcs potentially better than dev arcs is the time you can spend to attend to every detail.
Rule #3
Make your arc what it is supposed to be. It is tempting to always have 5 missions, or to have large maps. It is tempting to make everything as big and complicated as it can be which is fine if thats what your arc is supposed to be. But the best arcs are edited down to the essentials missions are not longer than needed to tell the story, important elements are not hidden by clutter, exotic maps are not used where they do not make sense.
Contact and Mission Intro
Your contact sets the tone of the arc, being the first thing the player sees and as they frame the arc. Your contact needs to have a personality and they need to impart information based on that personality. Mission intros should not be a wall of text written that just presents the mission. It should be written like a person speaking including pauses, side comments, etc.
The goals of the contact and mission intro are: to tell the player what to expect in the mission, to set the tone for the mission and arc, to make the player want to play the mission and continue the arc. If a player wants to complete the mission just to see what the contact has to say than you have a great contact.
Mission Spawns
A minimum of 5 spawns in a mission should be custom spawns, and if there are more than 10 total spawns, half should be custom spawns. Now a custom spawn just means that it is not a standard spawn of the base enemy group standing doing their default emote. Custom spawns can have dialog, have movement, do appropriate animation, add appropriate items, or add required objectives.
- Dialog Spawns
A dialog spawn is intended to add flavor to a mission by saying dialog. This can be done through a boss spawn, a patrol, or other types. Dialog can be used to reinforce the villain plot Once we finish robbing this bank we can buy bigger guns, promote the main villain If any heroes show up, Big Bad will take care of them, or make the mission seem more real I cant find one of the secretaries, I think she is hiding.
With dialog a lot is good, but in small doses. Do not fill every dialog box a spawn can have. Keep it to the essential dialog you want them to read.
- Animation Spawns
You can usually set special spawns to do animations of your choosing. This can reinforce the feeling of a mission. If you are raiding a villain base maybe they are sitting around, listening to music, training, etc. If you are stopping a villain assault maybe they are carrying explosives or doing an aggressive animation. Animations are very effective at adding flavor to a mission without adding dialog that might clutter the screen.
- Object Spawns
Object spawns can be defendable objects, destructible objects, or clickies. Defendable and destructible objects let you have mobs around the object which can talk about it. Object spawns let you customize your maps a little with flavor items. Altars give a mystic feel to a warehouse, weapon racks give it a military feel. Put a set of medical equipment in a sewer and it looks Vahzilok are working on building more minions in their base, instead of just another sewer you walk through.
- Movement Spawns
Standard spawns stand still or move around a little. If you want enemies to show some effort, movement spawns make the mission more dynamic: patrols, ambushes, and defendable objects.
Mission Objectives
- Clear Objectives
Players must understand what they need to do for a mission objective the task listed in the nav must be clear. Look for clues is not clear, nor is investigate. Search computer, Defeat Big Bad are clear. Players will quit missions if they cannot figure out how to complete them.
- Rotate Objectives
Rotate mission objectives. Ideally no two missions in a row have the same objective, and three missions in a row should not have the same objective. Even if the map, enemies, plot, etc are different 3 defeat boss, or 3 rescue NPCs in a row feel repetitive. Mission 1, 3, and 5 can have the same objective, just have 2 and 4 be different.
- Do Not Make All Required
It is great to add flavor objectives, do not make them all required. If you are raiding an enemy base is the goal to defeat the boss or to get information from the computer? Choose one and make that the required objective. Rarely should both be required. It is common to tack on a defeat boss when it is not really needed. The named boss can be there the player can choose whether or not to go after them. Do not try to force the player to examine and explore every detail you created. Think of them as easter eggs more fun for players who do find them.
- Do Not Use Defeat All
Players who are not farming hate defeat alls. No matter how well intentioned, you end up having to find one last minion hiding behind a crate. Whats worse is it makes the ending anti-climactic. If a player spends 15 minutes loving your mission and 5 minutes hating it while they hunt for one last mission they end the mission hating it. You are a brilliant person who can find a reason why you need to have a defeat all objective use that brilliance instead to figure out reasons why you do not need a defeat all objective.
Plot: Beginning, Middle, End
- The Beginning Must Be Worthy
If you are sending a superhero on a mission the intro better explain why it is a mission worthy of a superhero. Starting small with investigate a warehouse is lame. Players want to feel important, not like they have to prove their worth to every contact or that they are the night watchman.
- Tell the Player the Plot Upfront
Do not string the player along with just enough info for each mission. That makes it seem random and made up on the spot. Tell the player what the plot is but feel free to change it. First you must find out Big Bads plot from his minions, than you must stop his plot, then you must defeat Big Bad. This tells the player there is a story, it gives the early missions a purpose in the overall arc instead of just being filler.
- Do Not Repeat a Mission
If the purpose of mission 1 is to destroy a mind control device, do not have mission 2 be to destroy another mind control device (same with finding out information, preventing a kidnapping, etc). Repeating the same purpose in another mission feels like filler, even with a cool map. Maybe another hero or the police took out the other devices. Or maybe there was only one (you are writing the arc, you make it fit your needs). The plot needs to develop thats how a story works.
- Resolution
You want a climax to your arc, but you really need a resolution. That means tying up the main storyline and any sub-plots. It also means having an ending that leaves the player feeling good. Making the player hate your villain is great if they get to beat them up at the end. Making the player hate your contact is fine if they get to beat them up at the end (or somehow turn the tables on them). The player needs to end your arc feeling satisfied.