You're thinking too hard.
MA is fun and I really don't care how it "fits in."
Would be neat to have a "Danger Room" for SG bases that basically functions like a MA terminal and contact.
QR
Weatherby_Goode - "Heck, Carrion Creepers negates the knockdown from Carrion Creepers."
Its a good question, I think.
From a Players perspective, some people tend to moan whenever 'rewards' are removed from the game. That's a metareason why inf drops in the MA.
Can we come up with an ingame reason for the MA dropping inf?
Perhaps the techs at AE datamine their databases of played arcs and note which heroes or villains have succeeded in certain arcs. 'beating' the more difficult arcs would engender higher levels of 'hey, Excruciating Man beat that uber arc in an hour yesterday!' etc, and there's your inf.
Removing inf from the MA would also cause problems with those arcs that use the 'real person tapping into the hologram feed and reroutibg the AE array for use as a real-world teleporter' device. For thos arcs, the places and nobs encountered aren't simulations but real.
Eco
MArcs:
The Echo, Arc ID 1688 (5mish, easy, drama)
The Audition, Arc ID 221240 (6 mish, complex mech, comedy)
Storming Citadel, Arc ID 379488 (lowbie, 1mish, 10-min timed)
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
[The Incarnate System is] Jack Emmert all over again, only this time it's not "1 hero = 3 white minions" it's "1 hero = 3 white rocks."
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I always thought of it in the manner that since the virtual world is still dangerous, your character gains inf by overcoming the obstacles in it. But that's just my take.
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
AE records are pubic, so people can watch you make your way through the virtual environment in question. BAM! You gain influence. "Problem" solved.
I assume it is similar to professional sports-type of influence - basically what MrCaptain said.
However, I usually try to find arcs that fit the character and treat the AE arcs as real. When I can't then sure, we treat it as a danger-room scenario mostly done for the tickets.
Then there are some of my characters who know the dark truth and won't set foot inside of an AE building. 
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You're thinking too hard. MA is fun and I really don't care how it "fits in."
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Way to hard. I mean it is a virtual sim in a imaginary superhero world on a computer for goodness sake people. 
The development team and this community deserved better than this from NC Soft. Best wishes on your search.
I was in AE the other day killing stuff and my son walked in with some of his friends and I gained a lot of RL Influence with his friends when they saw me playing CoH on decked out L50... so even though the game is virtual I gained Inf in RL...
so along those lines if the residents of PC saw my toon killing stuff and acting all super hero like in AE, then shouldnt my toon gain inf
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We all know that certain super groups in the comic books utilize holographic rooms to train, to perfect their teamwork, and to gain experience without any real threats(not going to cite specific examples for trademark reasons). The point I'm trying to make here is, what happens in the virtual world of Architect Entertainment has no effect whatsoever on the "real" world outside the AE building. It's not until the heroes/villains leave the AE building that they will actually have an effect on the "real" world.
People training their skills in a virtual world should gain experience points, they are training after all, developing new manuevers, etc. They are not, however, doing anything to affect the outside world from their virtual battles, they are simply fighting holograms. As this is the case, why should any characters become more "infamous" or "influential" for doing things that don't affect the "real" world of Paragon City/Rogue Isles? Where is the logic, storywise, for characters gaining infamy/influence from their actions in the virtual world of AE?
Not sure if this question has been posed before or not, so please, discuss...
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In my opinion, you're beginning with a false assumption. The MA isn't like the Danger Room. And it isn't like the holodecks on Star Trek. In those you don't get hurt unless something goes terribly wrong.
MA is different. You get defeated, you collect debt and wind up in the hospital. If you can amass debt, you should get influence and prestige/infamy.
MA is its own entity. Comparing it to a M*rv*l device would make it ... derivitve, and we know how the devs feel about that. 
So unless you want to report them and have their jobs gen-ed, you need to agree with me that MA is one-of-a-kind. 
Nothing on earth like it, no siree!
I think it's as simple as looking at MA arcs like any training program. If you consider the Heroes/Villains as members of an 'army' of some sort (or like firefighters, police officers, etc.), it's very simple. When you're in the army, in basic training or involved in 'war games' of any kind, you still earn your regular pay for what you're doing. It's all part of the job. Training to sharpen your skills is just as important as actually doing the job that you're training to do.
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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Removing inf from the MA would also cause problems with those arcs that use the 'real person tapping into the hologram feed and reroutibg the AE array for use as a real-world teleporter' device. For thos arcs, the places and nobs encountered aren't simulations but real.
Eco
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Huh. I was beginning to have a problem justifying using a simulator in a simulator. From hero on forward it is no longer a Holodeck but a Galactic Transporter.
Enjoy your day please.
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AE records are pubic, so people can watch you make your way through the virtual environment in question. BAM! You gain influence. "Problem" solved.
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This. Or I figure AE is broadcast Mojoworld style to a large audience. AE gets paid for providing the entertainment and the hero gets a cut
Of course one of AE's founders has a bit of a dark past, so some of that monitoring may be used for more than entertainment. The research data on heroes' and villains' fighting styles, weaknesses, etc would be invaluable and could fetch a pretty big price on the black market. Again, more inf coming in for AE and more exposure for AE players.
Craft your inventions in AE!!
Play "Crafter's Cafe" - Arc #487283. A 1 mission, NON-COMBAT AE arc with workable invention tables!
How about this?
Influence/Infamy ("Inf.") is a virtual money system used to reward us for doing things that support our "bosses"' goals. Heroes do good deeds and earn Influence, Villains do bad deeds, and earn Infamy.
(While the usual in-game rationale is that Inf. is just our reputation, and we're trading on that for the goods we need, many of the things that have been added to the game simply don't work with that. So I assume Inf. has become a formalized money system that the various "merchants" accept in exchange for their goods and services.)
Doing things in MArch allows us to improve our skills and abilities, just as if we were doing things in the "real" world. Because we are improving ourselves and becoming better able to support our bosses' goals, they grant us full credit for our virtual actions so we can still purchase the things we "need" for maximum performance.
Looking at this in a mechanical perspective, if the MA is designed to be usable to level from 1-50, it has to provide wealth ($Inf, recipes, salvage and/or tickets) as well as XP. Otherwise you have characters who cannot buy and slot enhancements, use the tailor or participate in any of CoX's other money sinks.
How you justify this in your particular RP fashion is up to you.
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They are not, however, doing anything to affect the outside world from their virtual battles, they are simply fighting holograms. As this is the case, why should any characters become more "infamous" or "influential" for doing things that don't affect the "real" world of Paragon City/Rogue Isles? Where is the logic, storywise, for characters gaining infamy/influence from their actions in the virtual world of AE?
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Probably because not everyone RPs or *cares* too greatly about every single inconsistency. Storyline isn't always the highest priority for people (i.e. why Michael Bay & Paul Anderson are still employed). Some people place action above comic book thematics. As far as game mechanics go, inf is currency, like coins or gold in every other MMO.
We all know that certain super groups in the comic books utilize holographic rooms to train, to perfect their teamwork, and to gain experience without any real threats(not going to cite specific examples for trademark reasons). The point I'm trying to make here is, what happens in the virtual world of Architect Entertainment has no effect whatsoever on the "real" world outside the AE building. It's not until the heroes/villains leave the AE building that they will actually have an effect on the "real" world.
People training their skills in a virtual world should gain experience points, they are training after all, developing new manuevers, etc. They are not, however, doing anything to affect the outside world from their virtual battles, they are simply fighting holograms. As this is the case, why should any characters become more "infamous" or "influential" for doing things that don't affect the "real" world of Paragon City/Rogue Isles? Where is the logic, storywise, for characters gaining infamy/influence from their actions in the virtual world of AE?
Not sure if this question has been posed before or not, so please, discuss...