Remaking the classic Task Forces via the MA
By
EmperorSteele,
Posted on: 2009-05-05 13:04 in Suggestions and Ideas
The problem with this is the inability to duplicate certain events and atmosphere, such as the Paladin ambush in the Synapse TF, or climbing the Volcano in Striga only to find a huge door, or circling around Paragon defeating all the various foes you've ever faced. And some stories take more than five missions to tell (though to be fair, when a lot of TFs can be adequately summarized as "fight council cuz i said so, fight freakshow cuz i said so", perhaps this isn't such a huge issue), you'd really have to squeeze or do away with a good deal of content.
It'd be a nice exercise in creativity for sure, but i doubt any MA-made mission would ever be a suitable replacement for a Task Force (even if some of them are awful)
-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)
[ QUOTE ]
The problem with this is the inability to duplicate certain events and atmosphere, such as the Paladin ambush in the Synapse TF, or climbing the Volcano in Striga only to find a huge door, or circling around Paragon defeating all the various foes you've ever faced. And some stories take more than five missions to tell (though to be fair, when a lot of TFs can be adequately summarized as "fight council cuz i said so, fight freakshow cuz i said so", perhaps this isn't such a huge issue), you'd really have to squeeze or do away with a good deal of content.
It'd be a nice exercise in creativity for sure, but i doubt any MA-made mission would ever be a suitable replacement for a Task Force (even if some of them are awful)
[/ QUOTE ]
/this.
I'm all for "Rewrite the task forces" as a challenge, mind you. It'd be interesting to see what people come up with. But some of the unique flavor of them just can't be done in MA.
I'm hoping, though, with the new tools they have, they can go back and redo them.
That would be cool on my account but they would have to let the teams have more to plant in the MA mish like the Babage they would let you make a thing to include GMs.
Note the only TFs i suggest updating this way are the old classic ones, I consider Striga's TF to be a solid TF that although not as cool as the recent ones, was well design.
The original 5 TFs, though, were horribly built because they were meant to be just huge long story arcs with the same tech the old story arcs had.
The only event (that i really can recall off the top of my head) in these 6 TFs that could not be literally replicated would be Babbage, but even that can be done with an outdoor map.
As for the length, you can be more flexible for the purpose of this, allowing users to make longer arcs if needed only for this, or submit multiple arcs as one submission. Besides, one of the things that trully has to change with some of those TFs is precisely length.
And finally: door location, can remain the same once the TF was adopted as a replacement. IF (again, i don't propose changing that one at all) the Striga TF was replaced, you would keep the trip to the Volcano just as it is now. I can't think of any such memorable situation in the first 6 TFs
BTW I am talking about: Positron, Synapse, Sister Psyche, Citadel, Manticore and Numina.
[ QUOTE ]
That would be cool on my account but they would have to let the teams have more to plant in the MA mish like the Babage they would let you make a thing to include GMs.
[/ QUOTE ]
I think they have noted that GMs will be eventually part of the MA, only they needed more time to be able to do something that would restrict them only to outdoor maps.
[ QUOTE ]
The original 5 TFs, though, were horribly built because they were meant to be just huge long story arcs with the same tech the old story arcs had.
[/ QUOTE ]
*nitpick* Posi was actually meant to be two, designed for a SG. They got combined into the long one we have now.
The more you know... *star*
[ QUOTE ]
Note the only TFs i suggest updating this way are the old classic ones, I consider Striga's TF to be a solid TF that although not as cool as the recent ones, was well design.
The original 5 TFs, though, were horribly built because they were meant to be just huge long story arcs with the same tech the old story arcs had.
The only event (that i really can recall off the top of my head) in these 6 TFs that could not be literally replicated would be Babbage, but even that can be done with an outdoor map.
As for the length, you can be more flexible for the purpose of this, allowing users to make longer arcs if needed only for this, or submit multiple arcs as one submission. Besides, one of the things that trully has to change with some of those TFs is precisely length.
And finally: door location, can remain the same once the TF was adopted as a replacement. IF (again, i don't propose changing that one at all) the Striga TF was replaced, you would keep the trip to the Volcano just as it is now. I can't think of any such memorable situation in the first 6 TFs
BTW I am talking about: Positron, Synapse, Sister Psyche, Citadel, Manticore and Numina.
[/ QUOTE ]
As was brought up earlier, you also can't replicate the street hunting portions of the TFs, which isn't particularly integral to every TF, but it's essential to the flavor of the Numina TF.
(PS, you also mention the 5 original TFs as those you think would need changing and then list 6)
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
The original 5 TFs, though, were horribly built because they were meant to be just huge long story arcs with the same tech the old story arcs had.
[/ QUOTE ]
*nitpick* Posi was actually meant to be two, designed for a SG. They got combined into the long one we have now.
The more you know... *star*
[/ QUOTE ]
nitpick nitpick, i was aware of it and actually thought to note it but figured it was too little of a trivia detail to bother noting.
[ QUOTE ]
(PS, you also mention the 5 original TFs as those you think would need changing and then list 6)
[/ QUOTE ]
I thought i edited that before submitting... but it's 6.
As for street hunts, I really think they SHOULD go, you can mimic them in outdoor maps if you have to, though.
I think this is a great idea, but I'd want to let them get a few major patches on the MA first to expand its capabilities a bit. I'm guessing in a few major revisions we'll be able to approximate something much closer to a worthy TF.
bababadalgharaghtakamminarronnkonnbronntonner-
ronntuonnthunntrovarrhounawnskawntoohoohoordenenth ur-
nuk!
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
(PS, you also mention the 5 original TFs as those you think would need changing and then list 6)
[/ QUOTE ]
I thought i edited that before submitting... but it's 6.
As for street hunts, I really think they SHOULD go, you can mimic them in outdoor maps if you have to, though.
[/ QUOTE ]
I actually like the Numina TF hunt mishes. I think they're great, especially when you consider the story of it, though I think it could be improved by her telling you in the mission description the order of the zone kills rather than having to hit up Paragonwiki.
Last night I was doing the Synapse task force. While doing it I remembered how bad these old task force were and in how much need of a remake they are in. However, we also know the time it would take the devs to remake these would be well spent in making just new task/strike forces instead.
And then I remembered a MA mission Catwhoorg where he attempted to remake the final mission in the Positron TF, it occurred to me A CONTEST!!!!!
Make the developers make an open contest for players to use the MA to remake the old Task Forces! They can either pick themselves (it can be left to the community team so the devs dont have to waste time on it unless they so wish to) or it could have player voting, or a little bit of both!
They can make the contest team based (multiple players making an arc and publishing under one account) and as rewards:
<ul type="square">[*]The winner replaces the Task Force for the contest in question (each TF should have its own separate contest)[*]The winning team can get in game rewards but no badges (there is enough hell about exclusive badges as it is) like extra character slots or even IOs (a full set of Luck of the Gambler would be a reward any player would enjoy) or the obvious: extra MA arc slots.[*]Free game time (a couple of months for each player in the winning team perhaps)[*]Real Goodies, autograph game boxes, poster, all that stuff.[/list]
I would leave the specific for the devs, off course, should they go for it, but one rule I can think off would be: no plugging. Your characters cant be added to the arcs, as this would lead to quite a few issues.