Thoughts on exemping for a mission?

Eva Destruction · 05-12-2009 06:20 AM

How do people feel about being exemped for a single mission out of a longer arc? Will people accept it if there's an explanation for why their character is suddenly weaker? Or do people fight tooth and nail against anything that will keep them from their precious XPs and set bonuses?

I'm currently thinking about an arc, that due to the nature of what you're dealing with is intended for high-level villains. However I may need to include a heroic magic-themed group, and the only ones available are the Legacy Chain and Midnighters, both of which cap out around 30. Are people cool with that, so long as it advances the story?

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Arc ID#161629 Freaks, Geeks, and Men in Black
Arc ID#431270 Until the End of the World

Decorum · 05-12-2009 07:10 AM

I don't mind it, but most people I've talked to actually have conniptions about exemplaring, even on TFs and Oroborous and such. For some reason they forget how to play toons that aren't 50s.

Dec out.

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Steele_Magnolia · 05-12-2009 07:41 AM

A way to get around this is to use the custom critter creator and replicate as close as you can the villain groups you intend to use. The only difficulty would be file size, if you don't make too many customs per villain group (perhaps 1 minion, 1 lt, 1 boss) you should be able to do it.

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American_Valor · 05-12-2009 08:15 AM

Some people will read and enjoy it but the masses will probably not like it regardless of the reason. I would say write what you want and then listen to the feedback you're getting when it is constructive and good it can make your story even better. But if you wish to avoid complaints Steele Magnolias idea works well.

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Eva Destruction · 05-12-2009 08:28 AM

Well the problem is I already have a custom group planned that can't be replaced by an existing group. Whereas a heroic group that combats threats of a supernatural nature...we already have two. So not only would I be using up file size with a custom group, I'd be creating redundancy. They really should just expand the Midnighters to go all the way to 50, since the lore around them implies that they're familiar with the likes of Lilitu and Rularuu....

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Arc ID#161629 Freaks, Geeks, and Men in Black
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dugfromthearth · 05-12-2009 09:06 AM

they should expand the normal groups for more levels

I don't pay close attention to if I am exemping - but given that I have thousands of arcs to choose from, any issue with an arc and I skip it.

Naufragus · 05-12-2009 09:45 AM

I had this same issue because I had to use a particular Villain for the "story" on one particlar arch. I just went with it. Oddly the same character exists at a higher level but with different graphix and allignment.

The issue most people have with being reduced to a lower level is that some powers blank out.... The problem here is that people respec so much and you are at the mercy of what order you choose things during respec. I usually choose powers by what is ging to give me the max benefit to adding slots

The problem here is the Devs forcing people to lose powers rather than just reducing them to the current level.

My rule of thumb is that i try and stick with Mobs no lower than 40. By 40 most everyone has all their powers except for pools so its not as bad as being reverted to say 30.

What the devs need to do is allow us to break their level conventios for mobs. Some make no sense. Just make the level 30 a level 45 if the map calls for it. There are usually comporable mobs with he same power set. This is a hold over from the eraly development which believed that you fought X mob at X level the it vanished.

I had a good story I unpublished because if the mission leveled to 45 the mobs switch over to what the "devs" considered to be "high end" versions. But that changed the gameplay and didnt fit the story anymore.

A good example of what I am talking about are the several groups that switch from assualt rifles to ray guns at 45. Or the PPD which switches over to PSI officers.

Its really hard to tell a "story" when the devs have tied our hands with their own "rules" . Thats one of the reasons we find doing the game over and over tedious and dull. I would love to do a great Sky Raiders mission at level 40.

Their contraints really dont make any sense since you fight those idotic Romans well into your 40s and all they have are a sword. But you cant fight Hellions or Warriors.

I suggest everyone push to have MA character restrictions removed. The mobs should always LEVEL UP...you should bever level down.

Rodion · 05-12-2009 03:44 PM

[ QUOTE ]
How do people feel about being exemped for a single mission out of a longer arc?

[/ QUOTE ]

I really hate it. And I'm someone who likes a good story. All the rationales they give for exemplaring are essentially bogus.

If it's only a few levels (like down to 40), it's not so bad. But when it's down to 11 or 14, I have to rearrange powers in my trays because none of them work anymore.

The level of disruption also depends on the AT. It's not so bad with blasters and scrappers, because they're pretty much all attacks and they get those early. But it's a real drag with tanks because they often don't have many attacks to start out.

If you're doing it to get a particular NPC, just remodel that NPC as a custom character as closely as you can. It doesn't really matter if it's identical. The conceit is that it's just an MA story anyway, and they got another actor to play the bad guy .

I've had conversations with authors who insist that the mission MUST have this EXACT map, and MUST have EXACT character at this EXACT level. Even though the rest of the arc scales to any level. They're missing the point (especially considering how likely it is that the special maps may be yanked at any time). It's more important for it to be fun and have people play at the pace they expect to play at. There's a HUGE difference between running a level 50 character and running a level 14 character.

However, I'm not doctrinaire on this point: if you say that one of the missions is low-level in the description, keep that mission short, and have a reasonable explanation for it, no one can reasonably complain about it.

Ultimately this is a problem with MA and the system in general. If a boss designed for level 14 is too weak at level 50, they should make that boss an LT at level 50 and give less experience.

GlaziusF · 05-13-2009 08:55 AM

If you're going to make an arc with an uneven top range, either start low and ramp up, or have a really really good rationale why your powers are suppressed.

People can get used to playing without certain powers in the context of an arc, but not to having them "taken away".

Aura_Familia · 05-13-2009 09:01 AM

[ QUOTE ]
I don't mind it, but most people I've talked to actually have conniptions about exemplaring, even on TFs and Oroborous and such. For some reason they forget how to play toons that aren't 50s.

[/ QUOTE ]

If I wanted to play a toon that wasn't 50, I would bring a toon that wasn't 50 into the MA. It's simple as that.

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Kelenar · 05-13-2009 11:32 AM

A single mission in the middle that's at a completely different level range from the others is one of the very few things that will prevent me from even giving an arc a try.

Having Vengeance and Fallout slotted for recharge means never having to say you're sorry.

Eva Destruction · 05-13-2009 02:55 PM

Ok, I get it. No exemping.

Now another question: Is there any trick that lets you add an enemy to a mission without scaling the mission to the enemy's level? In other words, is there any way to add a few grey-cons to a mission?

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

Lazarus · 05-13-2009 05:16 PM

There needs to be a very good and logical reason for the exemping. Missions with crazy varying level ranges is something that I automatically take a star off for if there is no justification for it.

My rule of thumb is to pick a level range and stick to it. If it's a high-level arc, then no Legacy Chain, etc. If you must have that low-mid level group, then design the entire arc to be played at that level.

Eva Destruction · 05-13-2009 05:28 PM

The arc's basic premise requires a high-level villain. I hate varying level ranges for no reason too, I just wanted to have the Midnighters in there. They would have had the information you needed, and a very good reason for not wanting you to have it. I guess I'll have to think up a replacement mission.

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

Lazarus · 05-13-2009 07:48 PM

Maybe they are willing to meet with you but it there is a magic curse upon entering that limits your powers as a trap and since you need that info you have to go through with it anyways?

Eva Destruction · 05-13-2009 08:41 PM

Actually it was going to be more along the lines of "they know you're coming and they really want to stop you but you're too powerful so they have to limit your powers," with enemy dialogue and animations showing that they're making a real effort to do so. It's a villain arc.

But if people are going to look at a bunch of 45-50 missions in the description and then see a 20-33 mission and go, "nah, I'm not doing that arc," then I'll just have to find another way to advance the story.

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