Venture's Reviews IV: The Search for Part III
By
Aces_High,
Posted on: 2009-07-01 15:15 in Mission Architect
Arc #108375, "Crawling From The Wreckage"
tl;dr: 2 stars. Offenses: poor dialog, typos, canon errors, no souvenir
Reviewed on: 7/1/2009
Level Range: 1-10/10-16/8-20/20-29/25-29
Character used: Amy Sunflower/Virtue
I don't have the usual blow-by-blow on this one because if I did that I'd really have to tear the arc up which isn't really fair. It's obviously the work of someone fairly new to the game in general and AE in particular.
The arc is an "origin story": you and four friends are abducted by the Rikti, experimented upon then escape when heroes attack the Rikti ship. You all get superpowers as a result of the ordeal and briefly form the "Fearsome Foursome". Unfortunately, personality clashes and problems with your friends coming to terms with their powers tear the team apart. One becomes a supervillain whom you have to take down. Another is attacked at work by Warriors and then teleported away by the Rikti when you rescue him, leading to a showdown and re-unification of the team. The dialog is poorly written, there are a lot of typos (I stopped trying to list them all) and there are problems with the canon, chief amongst them it being apparent that the Architect thinks the Rikti are traditional space aliens.
It's not the greatest story or theme in the world but at least the arc has one. I just can't give it a higher rating in good conscience. Hopefully the Architect will continue to improve his skills.
Current Blog Post: "Why I am an Atheist..."
"And I say now these kittens, they do not get trained/As we did in the days when Victoria reigned!" -- T. S. Eliot, "Gus, the Theatre Cat"
Personally, I don't think the balloon's made of lead. I think it's a perfectly fair expectation. Of course, I have a thread of my own already.
The SOLUS Foundation - a Liberty and Pinnacle SG
"The Consequences of War" - Arcs # 227331 and 241496
Well, I was one of the people who enjoyed (and instituted) follow-up discussions, but I can see that it got a little out of hand.
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
Venture,
Will you respond to PMs asking for suggestions to improve an arc?
Together we entered a city of strangers, we made it a city of friends, and we leave it a City of Heroes. - Sweet_Sarah
BOYCOTT NCSoft (on Facebook)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/517513781597443/
Governments have fallen to the power of social media. Gaming companies can too.
Yes.
Current Blog Post: "Why I am an Atheist..."
"And I say now these kittens, they do not get trained/As we did in the days when Victoria reigned!" -- T. S. Eliot, "Gus, the Theatre Cat"
Arc #57352, "The All-Seeing Eye"
tl;dr: 4 stars. Offenses: "just a bunch of stuff that happened", some small dialog and plot issues
Reviewed on: 7/1/2009
Level Range: 45-54
Character used: Ghostblaze/Infinity
Sgt. Pandora, a patriotic-themed heroine, wants you to investigate the recent loss of communication with an intelligence satellite, the "Electric Eye". Key components were built at Crey years ago so it's possible security was compromised there...you think? When you arrive the Knives of Artemis are on the scene battling with Crey security, also looking for the satellite's encryption codes. There is one glowie to find, a computer from which you learn that Crey retained files on the codes despite agreeing not to, and the files have been compromised though it's not possible to tell by whom.
Act II opens with a break in the case: an informant has tipped off the FBSA that a Council Archon out in Striga may have the codes. The first thing I heard on entry to his base was chatter from an Arachnos patrol, so there's one more player in the mix.... Unfortunately taking out the Archon only reveals Your Princess Is In Another Castle: his spy inside Crey failed to obtain the codes. The chatter from the Arachnos patrol implicated a "Fortunata Hekata"....
...so it's off to beat her up for Act III. The Knives show up again, this time with a Boss. You do get the codes from Hekata, who actually did get them from Helsinger...both of whom found the codes don't work any more. You get what you came for, but you don't get any answers.
Things take a turn for the chaotic in Act IV. Interrogation of Evanelyne, the Knives Boss, reveals the Knives have been hitting Crey, the Council, Arachnos and even Nemesis trying to get these codes for Malta. Unfortunately you learn this just after the Rikti wiped out a Malta base in Eden. They followed that up with an attack on a Nemesis facility. You head in to find Nemesis losing to the Rikti. There's a Master Gunslinger ally to rescue (" Tango-Alpha-Nine: For the love of Earth, let us fight together this day to save our world!"...doesn't sound much like Malta). You have to take out the leader of the Rikti forces, who tells you that the Rikti now control the satellite and implies they're about to use it somehow. Pandora tells you the satellite is capable of monitoring any and all forms of communication, including the controls for the War Walls. It's only a matter of time before the Rikti can use it to shut them down.
So in Act V it hits the fan. The Rikti are trying to hack the War Walls and massing their forces in the RWZ for a huge strike. Pandora is going to lead a counter-offensive while you hit the base the Rikti are controlling the satellite from. Um, why don't we hit that base with everything we have, since it's the money shot? Moving on... You have a timed mission (90 minutes) to destroy the station and take out the Warlord in charge. For whatever reason the Rikti chose to set up the control station near one of the Vanguard fortresses. You find the boss and the glowie, destroy both, the end. Pandora thanks you and says the satellite is being destroyed so this never happens again.
The arc lacks a theme and the dialog could use some touching up, but otherwise it's pretty good. The ending might benefit from being moved to an indoor map with some explanation as to why the player is being sent to what should be the primary objective instead of ARCLIGHTing it or the like.
Current Blog Post: "Why I am an Atheist..."
"And I say now these kittens, they do not get trained/As we did in the days when Victoria reigned!" -- T. S. Eliot, "Gus, the Theatre Cat"
Thank you for the review, Venture. I hope you enjoyed the arc.
Together we entered a city of strangers, we made it a city of friends, and we leave it a City of Heroes. - Sweet_Sarah
BOYCOTT NCSoft (on Facebook)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/517513781597443/
Governments have fallen to the power of social media. Gaming companies can too.
Oop- hey Venture, if you're planning on a re-run of 106553 any time soon, could you put it on hold? I haven't had time to test out my i15 changes yet, so it may be horribly borked- not sure just yet. Hopefully I'll be able to tune it up sometime in the next week or so.
"A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head." Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pirates
MA Arcs: #12285, "Small Fears", #106553, "Trollbane", #12669, "How to Survive a Robot Uprising"
It's about the seventh in the rotation currently so it's not going to come up too quickly.
Current Blog Post: "Why I am an Atheist..."
"And I say now these kittens, they do not get trained/As we did in the days when Victoria reigned!" -- T. S. Eliot, "Gus, the Theatre Cat"
Arc #189675, "Who is Leonard Grubbenberry?"
tl;dr: 4 stars. Nits: "just a bunch of stuff that happened" (but comedic)
Reviewed on: 7/2/2009
Level Range: 1-54
Character used: Amy Sunflower/Virtue
Detective Baxter asks you to look into a Council bank robbery that's particularly suspicious due to the amount of troops involved. There are two Archons to defeat, both of which imply they were after one Leonard Grubbenberry and not the bank's money. Leonard is one of two hostages, both escorts, and when you lead him out you get an ambush of more Council trying to prevent his escape. Baxter says Grubbenberry didn't seem unusual but he's going to look into the matter.
Baxter's investigation doesn't turn up anything unusual, but there must be something going on because Arachnos is attacking Grubbenberry's office and they seem to be after him in particular. Baxter sends you in both to protect him and to try to find out what's going on. Again, it's pretty straightforward, take out a leader and escort Grubbenberry out, with ambush. You still don't find out why he's so popular, though, and when you return to Baxter you find out It Got Worse: he's intercepted chatter saying the Freakshow, the Clockwork and even the Rularuu are after him! Grubbenberry and his wife are put in a safehouse why you try to sort out the mess.
Eight safehouses get hit by various groups looking for this guy, none of them the right one. While the PPD is at least finding out which of their safehouses aren't secure any more, they're Not Amused. Fortunately Baxter has found the Council base the bank robbery team came from and sends you to it for some Aggressive Investigation. The base commander, Archon Stivens, claims as you pummel him that Grubbenberry was being protected by Longbow, something confirmed by a Longbow communique you find in the base's computers...in a six-month old cypher. Baxter gets upset not only that Longbow let the info slip but his liason officer didn't bother to let him in on it when all this started.
Of course, that's because Longbow denies sending the message in the first place. It's a forgery, and they've traced it to a section of the sewers. When you get there, the place is full of "Henchmen 'R Us" troops. Who they're working for and what's going on is the big reveal I won't spoil. There's a very small nit in the denouement I won't go into since it touches on the reveal.
The humor is effective but on the low-key side, which is part of why the arc only gets four stars. (Actually there's a mathematical joke related to the reveal but I'm not sure the Architect meant to invoke it.) Also there's not enough sense of the various factions fighting over Grubbenberry. Actually seeing battles between some of the factions would be an improvement, though it might mean constraining the level range.
Current Blog Post: "Why I am an Atheist..."
"And I say now these kittens, they do not get trained/As we did in the days when Victoria reigned!" -- T. S. Eliot, "Gus, the Theatre Cat"
Thanks for the review. Interesting idea on a battle of the groups looking for the guy. I'd have to pick carefully, one of my goals with this arc is to be actually playable level 1 through 50, but I'll see what I can do.
My arcs are constantly shifting, just search for GadgetDon for the latest.
The world beware! I've started a blog
GadgetMania Under Attack: The Digg Lockout
Arc #113954, "Pawn Promotion"
tl;dr: 3 stars. Offenses: "just a bunch of stuff that happened", problematic mobs, underwritten
Reviewed on: 7/2/2009
Level Range: 1-54
Character used: Agent Cerulean/Justice
Tzarina Frost, herself a "Destined One", wants help in stealing the Russian Crown Jewels, ostensibly because if she were to do the prep work herself it would tip off her enemies. The first part is to break into the Russian National Archives to determine where the jewels are now. This is a simple hit on an office map against some custom soldier mobs (though the NCOs inexplicably have Dark Blast). There is one Boss, "Bogatyr", a Broadsword/Shield Defense.
The next step is a raid on a military warehouse. It's timed at 60 minutes and you're warned a member of the "Russian Revolutionaries", Bogatyr's group, may already be on the scene. Unfortunately the timed mission warning is in the acceptance text, not the briefing. There are two Bosses in this one, both obnoxious: "Ursa Major", Super Strength/Willpower with Rage and "Powersuit Mark 1", Energy Blast/Invulnerability with Aim. There's really no excuse for either now. The latter says "You have defeated the Colonel!" on death, which really should be a death message, not speech, and also has a default bio. In any case, Your Princess Is In Another Castle, as the jewels aren't here. Orders you find after defeating Powersuit say they were removed about 10 minutes before you arrived.
The Fight Scene is an attempt to catch the convoy carrying the jewels, using the Skyway map. Tzarina comes along herself as an Ally, Ice Blast/Cold Domination. There are several Bosses to defeat. "Cherenkov" is a Radiation Blast/Radiation Emission who self-buffs with Accelerate Metabolism and has no text whatsoever (not even a bio). There's another Powersuit Mark 1 and two Mark 3's (Energy Assault/Energy Aura). "Mother Russia" was Earth Control/Ice Blast, I think...died too fast. And you have to find a truck to destroy, which may not be on the main part of the map with the wrecked vehicles...this map is a lot bigger than most people think. Tzarina gets the jewels, she gives you the rest of the valuables that were in the truck and says you will be a "defender of the realm" when she reclaims the Russian throne.
The arc has no theme and is very underwritten...there is very little dialog, some mobs have no bios and the ones that do are terse. There are very few clues as well and again, the ones you get are very short. The result is a short ride along a route with very little scenery.
Current Blog Post: "Why I am an Atheist..."
"And I say now these kittens, they do not get trained/As we did in the days when Victoria reigned!" -- T. S. Eliot, "Gus, the Theatre Cat"
Thanks for the review Venture. I just checked on those trouble spots you talked about - tested it with a dark/melee ninjitsu stalker and had similar problems - which is funny because I didn't have problems with either my corruptor or dominator, both which can hold/slow boss level mobs. Different AT's mean different issues. I thought I had eliminated all the aim/buildup powers on the sets - will double check that, and eliminate the rage as well per your suggestion.
I was near the size limit for the arc, so I was worried about going over with text. I'm going to revamp the first and second missions, and add more flavor text, and probably eliminate a couple of the custom mobs to get more room, and tweak the arc to try and give it a little more of a story. Thanks again for the review, it helped point out the weak spots.
[ QUOTE ]
"just a bunch of stuff that happened"
[/ QUOTE ]
I'm pretty sure you have no idea what the [censored] this even means.
I'm only ladylike when compared to my sister.
I'm pretty sure you have no idea what the [censored] this even means.
I've defined it several times. Perhaps you could explicate your position rather than just toss off an attempted bon mot?
Current Blog Post: "Why I am an Atheist..."
"And I say now these kittens, they do not get trained/As we did in the days when Victoria reigned!" -- T. S. Eliot, "Gus, the Theatre Cat"
As I said before, over /ma.
The problem with JABOSTH is that it means different things to different people. To Venture, it means "the story has no moral or deeper meaning". Right or wrong, that's what matters in his thread.
What shall claim a Sky Kings' Ransom?
PPD & Resistance Epic Archetypes
You know, you may not *agree* with what he says, but you *did* voluntarilly submit your arc to his thread knowing full well how he rated and reviewed -- that is, unless you were just blanketing review threads with requests without checking them out.
If you knew what you were getting into, then you're being hypocritical for complaining. There is a difference between complaining and conversing, by the way.
If you didn't know what you were getting into because you didn't bother doing your homwework and were just looking for another free review, then you've no room to complain (even if you would have otherwise).
I haven't had my arc reviewed, yet. Yeah, like most everyone I'm hoping for a "Wow! Just... Wow!" review with five stars. Given Venture's history, I know the likelihood of that happening isn't great, though. Do I expect to see JABOSTH in regard to my arc? No, not really, for two reasons. One, I really did work hard to make sure that every mission and every word contributed to a strong, coherent story with a moral - that no matter how you slice it, war sucks. Two, I know that Venture is huge on calling people out for that and have worked to make sure that he has no room to do so. Point being, I did my homework.
The people with class that submit their arcs to reviewers understand all this, and they show grace when the reviewer gives them constructive criticism. There are a lot of them out there. Unfortunately, some people just whine.
The SOLUS Foundation - a Liberty and Pinnacle SG
"The Consequences of War" - Arcs # 227331 and 241496
[ QUOTE ]
You know, you may not *agree* with what he says, but you *did* voluntarilly submit your arc to his thread knowing full well how he rated and reviewed -- that is, unless you were just blanketing review threads with requests without checking them out.
[/ QUOTE ]
If this is to me, I didn't.
[ QUOTE ]
One, I really did work hard to make sure that every mission and every word contributed to a strong, coherent story.
[/ QUOTE ]
Which isn't what JABOSTH means a lack of in this case, FYI.
What shall claim a Sky Kings' Ransom?
PPD & Resistance Epic Archetypes
As far as I can tell, Venture is the first person on the internet to use "Just a bunch of stuff that happened" as a trope. So it's not like you've been hearing this for years and Venture just has a certain spin on it. He defined it.
There is The Random Events Plot, which is similar in some ways, and which many people assume is what Venture means.
You may or may not agree with the weight he places on it in his reviews (I don't) - but if it means different things to different people it means they aren't understanding the term - because Venture has been very clear about what he means by it, and it's his trope.
bababadalgharaghtakamminarronnkonnbronntonner-
ronntuonnthunntrovarrhounawnskawntoohoohoordenenth ur-
nuk!
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
You know, you may not *agree* with what he says, but you *did* voluntarilly submit your arc to his thread knowing full well how he rated and reviewed -- that is, unless you were just blanketing review threads with requests without checking them out.
[/ QUOTE ]
If this is to me, I didn't.
[ QUOTE ]
One, I really did work hard to make sure that every mission and every word contributed to a strong, coherent story.
[/ QUOTE ]
Which isn't what JABOSTH means a lack of in this case, FYI.
[/ QUOTE ]
Actually, it wasn't to you, it was to a one liner that may or may not have actually submitted an arc for review. If he or she hasn't even done that, than that makes him or her nothing more than a troll anyway.
Point taken on your definition of JABOTH. In fact, I appreciated it when you wrote it, after my comments. You''ll notice that I edited my previous post to take your comment in consideration. It doesn't change my point, however.
The SOLUS Foundation - a Liberty and Pinnacle SG
"The Consequences of War" - Arcs # 227331 and 241496
QR:
Further thoughts on JABOSTH as interpreted by Venture: Venture has a (arguably overly) strict definition of a story, involving a deeper meaning. If something doesn't have one, to him "it's not a story. It's just a bunch of stuff that happens".
What shall claim a Sky Kings' Ransom?
PPD & Resistance Epic Archetypes
Personally I take this as the meaning of "Just a Bunch of Stuff that Happens".
QR - Sometimes, it's difficult to differentiate between JABOSTH and Just A Bunch Of Stuff That Made Me Go 'Meh'.
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:
|
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."
|
Arc #156389, "Kiss Hello Goodbye"
tl;dr: 1 star. Offenses: Mary Sue, powerposes/mind controls the player, overpowered mobs, "just a bunch of stuff that happened", borderline Shaggy Dog
Reviewed on: 7/3/2009
Level Range: 1-54
Character used: Agent Cerulean/Justice
I played this a while ago without reviewing it and gave it one star. Then the author asked for a review so into the queue it went....
Dame Eden Lake of the Most Common Sup...uh, "Order of the Garter" (which in reality is a very exclusive English order of knighthood), visiting from London, wants your help in finding her sister Ligeria. As the browser entry warns the text "hijacks your inner monologue" so everything can be written as a Chandler pastiche. You're either going to love this or hate it; I hate it. The first lead takes you to a Bad Guy Bar on a casino map meaning (as the acceptance text warns) you can count on almost instant agro. The browser entry also warns you there is an "optional EB" in every mission. In this case, the "optional" EB is a "Gorilla G Goon", a Super Strength/Willpower with Heightened Senses, meaning he sees through stealth and has an agro range of roughly the entire map. Just to eliminate any possiblity that I wouldn't be torqued off he spawned at the door. After the second defeat I discovered he also has Rise to the Challenge, which for mobs means outrageous regen -- he was hitting 45 HP/second if my pets were out (35 without; I eventually decided the pets were doing more harm than good). This meant I had to keep both debuffs on him at all times (problematic with Surveillance's long animation) to have any chance ot actually hurting him. The actual target is "Slick Willie" a Quantum (?) Underboss, who eventually tells you that he was coming on to Ligeria because she could manufacture a new drug called "Siren". He didn't know what it did exactly, only that it was worth a lot. Eden tells you Ligeria is no chemist and is afraid of what will happen to her when the crooks she's fallen in with find out she can't help them.
Willie's lead sends you to a ship arriving that night, probably carrying drugs and (essentially) slaves. Eden gives you a locket with a picture of two small girls to give to Ligeria, supposedly to let her know you're legit. Unfortunately, it turns out the ship was there for a pickup, not a delivery, and Ligeria is not there. Gorilla is here again but fortunately spawned off in a corner. You get a license plate for a truck that left just before you arrived, which Eden is able to track for you, though I have no idea why anyone she could conceivably have reasonably turned to as an investigator would need her help to run down a license plate number.
The truck is traced to a warehouse, your next target. Gorilla spawned up front again at which point I decided I had enough, since I already know what's at the end of the ride. To summarize: Ligeria secretes the "Siren" drug, which is essentially a mind-control pheromone with the additional property of potentially causing anyone exposed to it to start producing it as well. Your Contact is not her sister; I forget what the exact relationship is but it doesn't matter because your Contact is actually the Big Bad, an author insert who mind-controls you for most of the arc. She's in cahoots with Gorilla to catch Ligeria and "dissolve" her into a new form of the drug which only Eden and Gorilla have a counteragent for (except Eden's backstabbed him too and his version of the counteragent doesn't work.) The arc ends with you destroying Eden's lab and getting into a fight with her (AV) that she's intended to escape from (flees, and with PToD is pretty much impossible to stop except by killing her).The arc is a Mary Sue story that plays the character for a sap and has poor game play to boot.
Current Blog Post: "Why I am an Atheist..."
"And I say now these kittens, they do not get trained/As we did in the days when Victoria reigned!" -- T. S. Eliot, "Gus, the Theatre Cat"
Between crossing the 100 review mark and some recent lossage in the signal-to-noise ratio I decided to start a new thread for my reviews. The previous thread is considered retired. Old reviews can be found here:
Arc Reviews
Venture's Reviews II: The Nightmare Continues
I remind readers that I am not taking requests at this time. There will be a copy of the queue included below.
I am instituting a policy change with this thread that I expect will go over like a lead balloon but I've thought about this and feel it's necessary: I will no longer respond to or even read responses to my reviews posted in this or any future review threads. I will be happy to follow up, within reason, in the Architect's own thread but there's just been too much random clutter. Obviously I have no ability to restrict what people post here, but if you post a reply to a review here I won't be taking part in any following discussion of your post. Take it to your arc's discussion thread (start one if you haven't) and feel free to post a pointer to that.
[u]Current queue[u]
*Hero: 57352, 149323, 137705, 171149, 161797, 179354, 59147, 15988, 1036, 55715, 37636, 17006, 174368, 60280, 178774, 100306, 181244, 91644, 167493, 149765, 191775, 4824, 171031, 242442, 227331, 41646, 77311, 81043, 67087
Villain: 113954
Neutral: 156389, 143017, 177826, 67356, 1296, 176180, 215257, 207827
Hero 15-20: 195149/225334, 185895
Villain 15-20:
Neutral 15-20:
+Rerun: 106553
Current Blog Post: "Why I am an Atheist..."
"And I say now these kittens, they do not get trained/As we did in the days when Victoria reigned!" -- T. S. Eliot, "Gus, the Theatre Cat"