So I will preface this with saying, I hate the concept of the AE. I hate the fact that according to canon every story told in this does not actually exist, and I instead choose to ignore the existence of the AE and pretend the exact opposite.
That said, these were a great 4 arcs, well written, well designed and quite enjoyable (Probably should have turned down my difficulty for the finale, but I managed somehow). You managed to take something I despise, and craft a story out of it that makes me very doubtful that whatever canon we receive on this will come close in quality.
A begrudging 5 stars to you on all accounts. I hope any future arcs you write are about something I don't despise 
Infatum on Virtueverse
I'm glad you enjoyed them! Part of me was wondering whether anyone would find the concept interesting enough to push through to the finale.
By the way, I should mention that the difficulty setting almost doesn't matter in the finale - everything is level-locked. 2 and 4 are harder than 1, 3, and 5 because they spawn larger groups, but other than that they're equivalent.
And for a while things were cold,
They were scared down in their holes
The forest that once was green
Was colored black by those killing machines
One note for anyone who wants to play the finale:
I've been alerted that there's a bug in the AE that will sometimes erase souvenirs. Since that's where the 2-part code for the finale is stored, there is a chance that someone intending to play the finale will have one of the souvenirs disappear on them before they get a chance.
For that reason I recommend writing down the code fragments out-of-game somewhere. If anyone encounters this bug and didn't write them down, PM me and I'll reply with the codes.
And for a while things were cold,
They were scared down in their holes
The forest that once was green
Was colored black by those killing machines
[ QUOTE ]
By the way, I should mention that the difficulty setting almost doesn't matter in the finale - everything is level-locked. 2 and 4 are harder than 1, 3, and 5 because they spawn larger groups, but other than that they're equivalent.
[/ QUOTE ]
Yeah, that was my point, I was on unyielding 
Infatum on Virtueverse
I took the opportunity of a 4-day weekend to do a cleanup pass on the first three arcs. I found and fixed a few continuity mistakes (leftovers from previous revisions that I hadn't caught), smoothed over some dialog and clue text, and replaced one map. I was happy enough with the result that I marked all three arcs as "final"; barring any surprise flaws, I'm going to avoid major rewrites from here out.
"Power Progression" and "The Plumber" are currently at 5-star ratings but with very few votes; "Signal to Noise" has the most plays and is at a 4-star rating. If I have any time going forward I'll try to work on a promo video, though it seems labor intensive enough that I doubt I'd finish one by summer's end.
Finally, I've decided to change my forum handle to match my in-game global (which I had, in turn, changed at i14 release to reflect my favorite nom de plume): Mind Forever Burning. I probably should have listed my authoring name in the OP.
And for a while things were cold,
They were scared down in their holes
The forest that once was green
Was colored black by those killing machines
<center>The below flier is posted on behalf of the player organization promoting the event.
For more information about having an event flier posted, please see the <a href=http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=8952225">Event Posting Rules</a>
<img src=http://www.topped-with-meat.com/~kgiesing/CoH/SignalToNoise.png></center>
Name change complete, though cursed forum software limiting names to 16 characters forced me to abbreviate.
And for a while things were cold,
They were scared down in their holes
The forest that once was green
Was colored black by those killing machines
Some minor updates to the arcs:
- Gave all contacts "about this contact" info
- Standardized on 00bfff for colorized mission titles and subtitles
- Fixed level ranges to be consistent across missions for all 3 arcs, with one exception
Worth noting is that in order to get the level ranges consistent in "The Plumber", I upgraded two of the bosses from Paragon Protectors to Paragon Protector Elites. I doubt this will significantly alter the overall difficulty of the arc, which is still designed for characters in their mid-30s; ironically enough however the arc now appears to be designed for high-level characters.
Also, there is one mission in "Power Progression" where the level range has to be fixed at exactly 41 for reasons that should become clear within the mission itself. Hopefully that is not a serious issue since the mission has only one combat. Those worried about XP gain should easily be able to make this up in the other missions.
And for a while things were cold,
They were scared down in their holes
The forest that once was green
Was colored black by those killing machines
I've probably gone completely insane. What I'm attempting is not reasonable, but I had to do it anyway. Once the story was in my head it had to be told.
The Storm's Edge saga is an ambitious attempt to weave together the hanging threads from i11 and i14 into a prequel to the Coming Storm event. To the best of my ability, it incorporates known canon material and extends it in the direction that I believe the devs were hinting towards. In the course of events, two canon origin stories are told, a secret identity is disclosed, and a bold plot is uncovered that could change the course of Paragon City forever.
I fully realize that the meta-story I present here could be subverted at any moment by canon developments. But the ideas that came to me seemed so inevitable from existing canon hints, and the stories spoke to me so stronly, that I had to give them voice. In a sense, too, I am throwing the dev writing staff a dare: prove me wrong, by resolving the Coming Storm storyline, and I'll happily discard my work to enjoy the closure.
The Storm's Edge saga consists of four arcs, one of which is unlockable:
67277 :: Signal to Noise (neutral/high level)
232253 :: The Plumber (heroic/mid level)
232235 :: Power Progression (villainous/mid level)
XXXYYY :: ???? (the finale)
The stories each stand on their own and can be played in any order. Put together, they paint a dark picture of conspiracy with one hell of a punchline. The first three are soloable; the unlockable arc is of TF difficulty, though very short.
The arc ID of the unlockable arc is broken into two pieces, one of which is found in an end clue of "The Plumber", and the other of which is found in an end clue of "Power Progression". "Signal to Noise" is not necessary for unlocking the hidden arc, though it is set against the same underlying events and gives a lot of the back story for the finale.
Since I have no DC nor HoF arcs, the 4th and final mission is published via a second account. In order to realize this vision, I sacrificed the 2nd account's global name and bought all the costume-enabling expansion packs. You won't be able to find the unlockable arc by global name, nor by guessing the arc ID (it wasn't published at the same time as any of the others), nor most likely by searching new arcs (I gave it a few manual ratings to deliberately bury it).
Here are the teasers for each of the stories:
67277 :: Signal to Noise
Neutral :: high-level :: challenging to solo
A seemingly innocuous training exercise goes horribly awry, spiraling ever more deeply into a mystery involving imprisonment, mind control, and the fate of the Architect Entertainment System itself... Or does it? (Note: now playable again, finally, after two of its maps were unceremoniously removed.)
Written and published first; chronologically second in the series**
232253 :: The Plumber
Heroic :: mid-level :: should be solo-friendly
Josh, a young man employed by Architect Entertainment, takes you behind the scenes to show you what really makes missions tick. The "plumbers" are there when players get stuck - will you return the favor in their time of need?
Written second, published last; chronologically first in the series**
232235 :: Power Progression
Villainous :: mid-level :: may be challenging to solo
Like any powerful tool, the Architect System can be harnessed for the cause of righteousness and justice - or twisted to suit selfish, evil purposes. Let's face it, the former is for suckers. And with a newly "recruited" Arachnos technician at your side, how can you lose?
Written last, published second; chronologically last in the series**
** - Note that the stories can be played in any order; chronology is given to satisfy curiosity.
---
Signal to Noise has a promotional poster; I'll see if I can get Niviene to inline it. I'm probably going to develop a teaser trailer for the saga as a whole.
And for a while things were cold,
They were scared down in their holes
The forest that once was green
Was colored black by those killing machines