@GlaziusF
Picking this up with an actual newbie - a single-digit BS/Shd. On diff 1, because lowbies is lowbies.
---
Whoa. Minions of Igneous? As a defeat all? You know they run like the wind and jump like a leaf in said wind, right?
...yes, I wouldn't know what the Seeker was talking about. That's because the minions of Igneous can only speak their own simple yet beautiful native language.
Golapo oog, remember?
---
...and now the rank and file are also talking intelligibly. You'd think Talshak would have mentioned something about that.
I guess I can buy the Hellions as a link here but I'd like to find some evidence of them on the altar.
---
Hmm.
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showflat....v=#Post13668031
According to Manticore, the Igneous are a society of rock-people and NOT ACTUALLY TRANSFORMED HUMANS WOO! except for their leader who got shoved down a lava vent when some dude betrayed him and he's looking to get back to the surface and take revenge.
Not the sort of dude you'd expect to be responsive to an ancient amulet.
So this thing goes direct to the Warriors, huh? Okay. You'd think Talshak might pursue alternate means of divination given how elusive everything is.
...why's he complaining about prepping spells, anyhow? "OH MISERY WHY MUST I CONTINUE TO WORK TO SAVE THE WORLD".
---
Ah, got it, it's tiring, right.
Dude doesn't have any friends among the cops who would know something like what gang pays tribute to who?
Anyway, in a Warrior hideout, hearing some Warriors talk about... Sigmund? Wrong mythology, dudes.
Wow. Complete dead end. Are these custom camo-panted Warriors I'm looking at here?
---
So hang on. If this was all a runaround then why did it work to draw the Igneous out?
Seems like an awful complicated piece of magic.
Anyway, the future dies again. But this was really awful sudden.
---
Storyline - *. There's not much pace at all here. Four missions of chasing my own tail and an attempt to cram an arc's worth of plot development into the last mission. You could probably trim out mission 2 and put in something before the last mission that actually involves the future Skulls a little more.
And how the rock monkeys can I understand the Igneous? That's not supposed to happen.
Design - ****. Interesting use of recolors to represent various parts of a villain group, but I didn't really see a reason to recolor certain members of the Warriors. Also there are a lot of defeat boss objectives that don't fire off unless the minions die too, which I don't really see the sense of.
Gameplay - *****. Short, simple, smooth.
Detail - ****. Enough little bits to make the missions feel somewhat alive, but especially for the last mission there really needs to be more going on, since it's the only one that apparently actually matters. Some false safes in the Warrior hideout and some actual minor artifacts from looking the Hellion warehouse would also be appreciated.
Overall - ***. Pretty much all of that's from the story. The uneven pacing and inexplicably vocal Igneous both threw me for some pretty big loops.
Up with the overworld! Up with exploration! | Want a review of your arc?
My arcs: Dream Paper (ID: 1874) | Bricked Electronics (ID: 2180) | The Bravuran Jobs (ID: 5073) | Backwards Day (ID: 329000) | Operation Fair Trade (ID: 391172)
[ QUOTE ]
@GlaziusF
Picking this up with an actual newbie - a single-digit BS/Shd. On diff 1, because lowbies is lowbies.
---
Whoa. Minions of Igneous? As a defeat all? You know they run like the wind and jump like a leaf in said wind, right?
...yes, I wouldn't know what the Seeker was talking about. That's because the minions of Igneous can only speak their own simple yet beautiful native language.
Golapo oog, remember?
[/ QUOTE ]
I have to admit, I have had other people say that the Minions are hard, but I have not really noticed it on my runs or in the regular game. There are a lot of other mobs I find more difficult.
And no, I didn't remember that the Minions don't speak English. I have tried to check that with other mobs that showed up, but never thought to find out for them. 
Now I need to figure out what to do about that slip up. 
[ QUOTE ]
...and now the rank and file are also talking intelligibly. You'd think Talshak would have mentioned something about that.
I guess I can buy the Hellions as a link here but I'd like to find some evidence of them on the altar.
[/ QUOTE ]
I am not sure why you would want to find evidence of them on the altar. The idea is, they raided the Minion lair to get the artifact, since that is one of their trademarks. It was mentioned later that they found out about the artifact from the Skulls, as part of the misdirection.
[ QUOTE ]
---
Hmm.
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showflat....v=#Post13668031
According to Manticore, the Igneous are a society of rock-people and NOT ACTUALLY TRANSFORMED HUMANS WOO! except for their leader who got shoved down a lava vent when some dude betrayed him and he's looking to get back to the surface and take revenge.
Not the sort of dude you'd expect to be responsive to an ancient amulet.
[/ QUOTE ]
I never claimed they were transformed humans. At least I don't believe I did anywhere. The idea behind them using the artifact was helping Igneous get to the surface faster, since he is bent on doing just that to get his revenge.
[ QUOTE ]
So this thing goes direct to the Warriors, huh? Okay. You'd think Talshak might pursue alternate means of divination given how elusive everything is.
...why's he complaining about prepping spells, anyhow? "OH MISERY WHY MUST I CONTINUE TO WORK TO SAVE THE WORLD".
---
Ah, got it, it's tiring, right.
Dude doesn't have any friends among the cops who would know something like what gang pays tribute to who?
[/ QUOTE ]
He knows the Warriors got the artifact. But he doesn't know which of their hideouts it is in. After all, they are spread out all over Talos and parts of Striga. It would take a lot of time and manpower to check out just their known hideouts.
[ QUOTE ]
Anyway, in a Warrior hideout, hearing some Warriors talk about... Sigmund? Wrong mythology, dudes.
Wow. Complete dead end. Are these custom camo-panted Warriors I'm looking at here?
---
So hang on. If this was all a runaround then why did it work to draw the Igneous out?
Seems like an awful complicated piece of magic.
Anyway, the future dies again. But this was really awful sudden.
[/ QUOTE ]
I had to create a custom boss for that mission, none of the Warrior bosses were low enough level, so I also changed a few colors on some of the minions. There wasn't really a need for it, but I thought a bit more variety would be nice.
Why did the Minions get involved? That is a question that Talshak asked also. He points out that if they had not, the Skulls plan would have proceeded the way they wanted and most likely no one would have known they were doing anything. But exactly what caused the Minions to get him and the PC involved is a mystery.
[ QUOTE ]
Storyline - *. There's not much pace at all here. Four missions of chasing my own tail and an attempt to cram an arc's worth of plot development into the last mission. You could probably trim out mission 2 and put in something before the last mission that actually involves the future Skulls a little more.
And how the rock monkeys can I understand the Igneous? That's not supposed to happen.
[/ QUOTE ]
The second mission was not originally in the arc. My first feedback from a tester said it was hard to follow the story, things jumped around too much. So I re-wrote and added that mission, to ease the transition from the Minions to the Hellions. The joys of writing. 
But I have been thinking about making some changes in the early missions to get the Future Skulls in sooner.
And I will have to figure out what to do about the Minions speaking.
[ QUOTE ]
Design - ****. Interesting use of recolors to represent various parts of a villain group, but I didn't really see a reason to recolor certain members of the Warriors. Also there are a lot of defeat boss objectives that don't fire off unless the minions die too, which I don't really see the sense of.
[/ QUOTE ]
As I said above, the re-coloring was just a quick addition to the group. I don't think that detracts from the mission, it just adds to the variety a bit. If I had been able to use a regular boss, I would not have bothered, but since it meant I had to create a custom Warriors group (Done before I15) I decided to add a few more into the group after I15 was published.
I thought I had removed the minion requirements from the boss encounters in this arc. I did on the last arc, maybe I got them mixed up. Will check that and get it fixed.
[ QUOTE ]
Gameplay - *****. Short, simple, smooth.
Detail - ****. Enough little bits to make the missions feel somewhat alive, but especially for the last mission there really needs to be more going on, since it's the only one that apparently actually matters. Some false safes in the Warrior hideout and some actual minor artifacts from looking the Hellion warehouse would also be appreciated.
Overall - ***. Pretty much all of that's from the story. The uneven pacing and inexplicably vocal Igneous both threw me for some pretty big loops.
[/ QUOTE ]
Thanks for the review, it has helped me see a few more things to think about. I would just like to point out, in 54 ratings (so at least that many plays) you are the first person to mention the Igneous talking as a problem. So I do not feel too alone in my ignorance on that point. But that doesn't mean I will ignore the problem. 
Justice Blues, Tech/Tank, Inv/SS
----------------------
Fighting The Future Trilogy
----------------------
[ QUOTE ]
I have to admit, I have had other people say that the Minions are hard, but I have not really noticed it on my runs or in the regular game. There are a lot of other mobs I find more difficult.
[/ QUOTE ]
It's not that they're hard. It's that when you're trying to hunt them down to kill them all they can bolt really far when they panic.
[ QUOTE ]
I am not sure why you would want to find evidence of them on the altar.
[/ QUOTE ]
Well, especially given the incoming golapo oog, a physical link would be appreciated - I got the interpretation that the Igneous were just blaming the Hellions as the usual suspects.
[ QUOTE ]
I never claimed they were transformed humans.
[/ QUOTE ]
Oh, that wasn't to you.
It just seems like every damn thing in the game is some type of transformed human.
[ QUOTE ]
The second mission was not originally in the arc. My first feedback from a tester said it was hard to follow the story, things jumped around too much. So I re-wrote and added that mission, to ease the transition from the Minions to the Hellions. The joys of writing. But I have been thinking about making some changes in the early missions to get the Future Skulls in sooner.
[/ QUOTE ]
Well, coming at it from the viewpoint of "this needs one more Skulls mission", I don't see why you can't just put some Hellions in the Igneous warehouse and go from there.
[ QUOTE ]
I would just like to point out, in 54 ratings (so at least that many plays) you are the first person to mention the Igneous talking as a problem.
[/ QUOTE ]
Yeah, I'm weird like that.
Up with the overworld! Up with exploration! | Want a review of your arc?
My arcs: Dream Paper (ID: 1874) | Bricked Electronics (ID: 2180) | The Bravuran Jobs (ID: 5073) | Backwards Day (ID: 329000) | Operation Fair Trade (ID: 391172)
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I have to admit, I have had other people say that the Minions are hard, but I have not really noticed it on my runs or in the regular game. There are a lot of other mobs I find more difficult.
[/ QUOTE ]
It's not that they're hard. It's that when you're trying to hunt them down to kill them all they can bolt really far when they panic.
[/ QUOTE ]
Okay, that makes sense.
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I am not sure why you would want to find evidence of them on the altar.
[/ QUOTE ]
Well, especially given the incoming golapo oog, a physical link would be appreciated - I got the interpretation that the Igneous were just blaming the Hellions as the usual suspects.
[/ QUOTE ]
This makes me ask, did you see the Hellion battle in that map? Along with the dialogue? If you missed it, I could see how you didn't get the connection. I have added a bit to the altar to help with that.
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I never claimed they were transformed humans.
[/ QUOTE ]
Oh, that wasn't to you.
It just seems like every damn thing in the game is some type of transformed human.
[ QUOTE ]
The second mission was not originally in the arc. My first feedback from a tester said it was hard to follow the story, things jumped around too much. So I re-wrote and added that mission, to ease the transition from the Minions to the Hellions. The joys of writing. But I have been thinking about making some changes in the early missions to get the Future Skulls in sooner.
[/ QUOTE ]
Well, coming at it from the viewpoint of "this needs one more Skulls mission", I don't see why you can't just put some Hellions in the Igneous warehouse and go from there.
[ QUOTE ]
I would just like to point out, in 54 ratings (so at least that many plays) you are the first person to mention the Igneous talking as a problem.
[/ QUOTE ]
Yeah, I'm weird like that.
[/ QUOTE ]
Oh I didn't have a problem with you pointing that out. I just found it amusing how many people are not that familiar with canon they run many times. I did make some changes already in the first 3 missions to account for that problem.
And I had an idea and was up all night reworking the last 3 missions. Now I just need to do some testing and get the changes into the published arc. You owe me a few hours sleep.
Justice Blues, Tech/Tank, Inv/SS
----------------------
Fighting The Future Trilogy
----------------------
Arc 255895: Future's End @Justice Blues
I was invited to try Future's End, #255895, understanding I haven't played the first two in the series. It will be interesting to see how well it stands on its own. I see 4 small maps (one with defeat-all) and a unique map. All sounds good. Solo, Canon, Save the World.
Overall, the arc was quite enjoyable, 5-star potential. Had some really good moments, and did not contradict canon. Some small things could be improved, and may require some change of emphasis if the arc should work for people who haven't played parts 1 and 2.
The Description says Mirror Spirit wants me to finish off the Future Skulls, and lists the two previous episodes. I wouldn't expect this arc to stand alone based on that. I considered that you could say this is "the third arc featuring the Future Skulls" (rather than calling this a "sequel") but after playing through I think it might require several changes to make this standalone. I'll still offer suggestions for doing that, but might not be worth it. On the other hand, you might get more plays.
The level range has an odd lower limit in the third mission. I can't think of why, best to iron that out. Let me know what's causing it, if you need suggestions on how to fix it.
I'll play this with my level 14 psi/energy blaster, Eying Maiden.
Mission 1
The contact, Mirror Spirit, gives a great prologue of the Future Skulls in the first paragraph: Skulls from the Future. This is good. This also involves me in events ("fighting against us") that could be less specific, without offending people who actually did do the previous arcs. It also mentions "your adventures with Talsak", not sure how to reword that since I didn't play the earlier arcs. The Accept string says "finish them off", which sounds like I started already, which I didn't. In any case, this mission is about finding the Futes, not finishing them, so a different Accept could be used.
There's a very specific warning to bring break-frees for a boss I know nothing about. It's a little immersion-breaking. I understand you want a warning, would "I hope you have the right inspiration for this - to Break Free from anything holding you back." Still in warning color. I appreciated the warning and grabbed a couple.
M1 entry popup should end with ?
I'm off on the path - to a Skulls hideout. I meet Circle of Thorns? Then skulls. A second level battle shows they're in opposition. I'm to find Dirjact. Why? Who is he? Maybe Mirror Spirit might have known? That would possibly make it more logical to warn that Break Frees are needed. Otherwise, it could be "Defeat whoever is in charge here".
Dirjact is being held. Perhaps he could say "Mere punks should not be able to hold me" rather than "You..." so I don't think he's referring to me. Dirjact lets me know what Bonesnap is up to. He says communicate with "something", perhaps that could be "something from another dimension", or "something evil", it's a bit vague.
exit pop-up: beat -> beating ; kind of nice -> nice
The return message, and the mission 2 introduction, are great. Also no issues with this being my first Future Skulls arc. However the Accept, says "beat up Bonesnap again", this is my first time.
I meet my first Future Slammer, one of the Future Skulls. It seems there is a "Bride" managing this operation. Intriguing.
[NPC] Future Slammer: How much longer must we put up with these weaklings?
[NPC] Gravedigger Slugger: Until the Bride tells us it is time for them to die.
Who are the weaklings? Regular Skulls? The one responding seems to be a regular Skull.
Bonesnap seems to have figured out a way to fly? I really don't get the dialog here. I also think Bonesnap's dialog could show an interesting personality. As it is, he says "blast you" and "I don't have time for this". What is he up to? (Is flying relevant?) The Clue says a little bit, but that should be apparent in the dialog. Also, I beat him down bit by bit, but he never ran. Nav says to stop him escaping, shouldn't he be trying to escape? If he can escape, the return-fail text will need to make sense (perhaps you still stopped him from doing whatever it was, Mirror Spirit gets a new take on the path, etc).
Mission 3 intro starts describing Mirror Spirit's demeanour. If that can't be captured through the words she says, then you could put it in italics to differentiate it from her speech.
Mission 3 intro: i -> I
I'm to defeat the leader at a Legacy Chain base in the Rogue Isles. My first thought was that this would be the leader of an invading group, like Dirjact was. But Mirror Spirit seems adamant I'll be fighting Legacy Chain. Perhaps Mirror Spirit could specifically name this leader as a Legacy Chain to be a bit clearer.
Once in the mission, I encounter High Followers (group Highest). Who the heck are they? Why are they my friends? Some dialog, or their descriptions, should help me out here. I haven't played the previous arcs. All of Axe/Mace/Archer have the same description, could vary more. And they do say a few words, despite having a plate fixed over their mouth. Perhaps the description could explain that?
You might add more delirious dialog coming from Legacy Chain (patrols or bosses). Otherwise, it seems I'm gratuitously beating them up.
Tlanextic says "get out of my mind. You do not belong here" - I assume "You" is not me? Could be clearer, who is "you"?
Defeating him gives a clue. Says he died. I trust I did not kill him (I'm a hero!), perhaps you can explain why he died.
Tlanextic's Whispers Clue: I don't think 'exit' is the word you're looking for there. But I don't know the mechanism used to get the crystal into our time, so I can't suggest an alternative.
Mission 4 intro does a wonderful exposition of the power behind the baddies.
Mission 4 send off: that is keeps -> that keeps
Death Skull description: in to -> into
Nice mechanics to have villain in the final room, and requiring it to be cleared.
The return message could possibly ask me to come see Mirror Spirit in case I can help with the cleanup. Then I'd have a reason to be here for Mission 5 (which is when a problem is discovered).
And onto the fifth mission. The introduction does a great job of describing the menace, but could go a little further to highlight why this is a "Save the World" arc. How do Future Skulls threaten the world?
Into the mission, I first met an undercover squad member. This confused me, as I hadn't met regular folks. But it makes sense once I realise there's regular squad here too.
Why doesn't the Midnight Squad Researcher want to hang around to help? It says that in his description, although since he's tied up in tendrils, there's no way I can guess he doesn't want to stick around. He just asks me if I've stopped the Bride who I recall from several missions ago. But why is it saying "Last Bride"? The "last" part is never explained.
"The body of this Bride crumbles, just like the last one. Guess they were both from the future." - is this referencing a previous arc?
The Bride could have more epic dialog. Perhaps monomaniacal, world-mashing or world-ruling diatribe, make it feel like a finale.
And we're done! Thanks for the experience.
Cheers, airhead
Arc: 379017: Outbroken See all your old friends in the Outbreak Tutorial sequel!
Arc: Coming Soon: The Incarnate Shadow Shard of Fire and Ice Mender Rednem needs you!
Massively.com opinion poll: Please Help Save CoH!
[ QUOTE ]
Arc 255895: Future's End @Justice Blues
I was invited to try Future's End, #255895, understanding I haven't played the first two in the series. It will be interesting to see how well it stands on its own. I see 4 small maps (one with defeat-all) and a unique map. All sounds good. Solo, Canon, Save the World.
Overall, the arc was quite enjoyable, 5-star potential. Had some really good moments, and did not contradict canon. Some small things could be improved, and may require some change of emphasis if the arc should work for people who haven't played parts 1 and 2.
The Description says Mirror Spirit wants me to finish off the Future Skulls, and lists the two previous episodes. I wouldn't expect this arc to stand alone based on that. I considered that you could say this is "the third arc featuring the Future Skulls" (rather than calling this a "sequel") but after playing through I think it might require several changes to make this standalone. I'll still offer suggestions for doing that, but might not be worth it. On the other hand, you might get more plays.
[/ QUOTE ]
Thanks for the play. I knew there were things that would need modified for people that have not played the other arcs, but it is hard to see them myself.
[ QUOTE ]
The level range has an odd lower limit in the third mission. I can't think of why, best to iron that out. Let me know what's causing it, if you need suggestions on how to fix it.
[/ QUOTE ]
The level range is like that for the same reason you face such a nasty boss in the first mission. Limited choices for a boss. Legacy Chain bosses in the low levels cover levels 5-9 (Or maybe 10?) and 10-14. There is nothing that covers from 5-14. Since I can't use a Lt. I had to choose one of those ranges, and keeping the top seemed like a better idea to me and some friends I checked with. (Yes, I can set the levels of the mission to 5-14 anyway, but then a level 5 will run into a level 10 final boss. This seemed like a very bad idea. )
In the first mission, I would prefer a Lt, so that lower levels don't have to worry about getting chain mezzed. Unfortunately, there is no way to place one with the current MA system, you can only place bosses from standard groups. If I could create a custom that looked anything like a CoT Mage, I would, but that is also impossible.
[ QUOTE ]
I'll play this with my level 14 psi/energy blaster, Eying Maiden.
Mission 1
The contact, Mirror Spirit, gives a great prologue of the Future Skulls in the first paragraph: Skulls from the Future. This is good. This also involves me in events ("fighting against us") that could be less specific, without offending people who actually did do the previous arcs. It also mentions "your adventures with Talsak", not sure how to reword that since I didn't play the earlier arcs. The Accept string says "finish them off", which sounds like I started already, which I didn't. In any case, this mission is about finding the Futes, not finishing them, so a different Accept could be used.
[/ QUOTE ]
Good point about the Accept, I will switch that around. I am not sure what I will do about the Talshak mention, since if they did play the arc those missions should be mentioned.
[ QUOTE ]
There's a very specific warning to bring break-frees for a boss I know nothing about. It's a little immersion-breaking. I understand you want a warning, would "I hope you have the right inspiration for this - to Break Free from anything holding you back." Still in warning color. I appreciated the warning and grabbed a couple.
M1 entry popup should end with ?
I'm off on the path - to a Skulls hideout. I meet Circle of Thorns? Then skulls. A second level battle shows they're in opposition. I'm to find Dirjact. Why? Who is he? Maybe Mirror Spirit might have known? That would possibly make it more logical to warn that Break Frees are needed. Otherwise, it could be "Defeat whoever is in charge here".
Dirjact is being held. Perhaps he could say "Mere punks should not be able to hold me" rather than "You..." so I don't think he's referring to me. Dirjact lets me know what Bonesnap is up to. He says communicate with "something", perhaps that could be "something from another dimension", or "something evil", it's a bit vague.
exit pop-up: beat -> beating ; kind of nice -> nice
[/ QUOTE ]
While Dirjact does come out of nowhere, the idea is that Mirror Spirit does not really know what she is sending you for. Her spells, especially for this first mission, are very vague. The closer you get to the goal, the more specific they can get because of what you learn along the way.
Good idea about his dialogue, especially the section when he is held.
[ QUOTE ]
The return message, and the mission 2 introduction, are great. Also no issues with this being my first Future Skulls arc. However the Accept, says "beat up Bonesnap again", this is my first time.
I meet my first Future Slammer, one of the Future Skulls. It seems there is a "Bride" managing this operation. Intriguing.
[NPC] Future Slammer: How much longer must we put up with these weaklings?
[NPC] Gravedigger Slugger: Until the Bride tells us it is time for them to die.
Who are the weaklings? Regular Skulls? The one responding seems to be a regular Skull.
Bonesnap seems to have figured out a way to fly? I really don't get the dialog here. I also think Bonesnap's dialog could show an interesting personality. As it is, he says "blast you" and "I don't have time for this". What is he up to? (Is flying relevant?) The Clue says a little bit, but that should be apparent in the dialog. Also, I beat him down bit by bit, but he never ran. Nav says to stop him escaping, shouldn't he be trying to escape? If he can escape, the return-fail text will need to make sense (perhaps you still stopped him from doing whatever it was, Mirror Spirit gets a new take on the path, etc).
[/ QUOTE ]
The Future Skulls group is a mixture of the regular group, re-colored mobs, and custom mobs. I can probably redo the descriptions on the normal looking ones, but I don't want to take them out, since their changing looks are to show a progression of corruption.
Bonesnap was talking about catching a flight. He was heading for the Rogue Isles, he had an appointment there with the Legacy Chain. I am not sure why he didn't try to escape for you, he is set to run at 1/4 health left and he has taken off every time I have ran the mission. Actually almost got away the first time.
If he gets away the exit text does say that Mirror Spirit will rush her spells and his injuries will slow him down. But what I would give for branching arcs at this point. A really different 4th mission would show up if it was possible.
[ QUOTE ]
Mission 3 intro starts describing Mirror Spirit's demeanour. If that can't be captured through the words she says, then you could put it in italics to differentiate it from her speech.
Mission 3 intro: i -> I
I'm to defeat the leader at a Legacy Chain base in the Rogue Isles. My first thought was that this would be the leader of an invading group, like Dirjact was. But Mirror Spirit seems adamant I'll be fighting Legacy Chain. Perhaps Mirror Spirit could specifically name this leader as a Legacy Chain to be a bit clearer.
Once in the mission, I encounter High Followers (group Highest). Who the heck are they? Why are they my friends? Some dialog, or their descriptions, should help me out here. I haven't played the previous arcs. All of Axe/Mace/Archer have the same description, could vary more. And they do say a few words, despite having a plate fixed over their mouth. Perhaps the description could explain that?
You might add more delirious dialog coming from Legacy Chain (patrols or bosses). Otherwise, it seems I'm gratuitously beating them up.
Tlanextic says "get out of my mind. You do not belong here" - I assume "You" is not me? Could be clearer, who is "you"?
Defeating him gives a clue. Says he died. I trust I did not kill him (I'm a hero!), perhaps you can explain why he died.
Tlanextic's Whispers Clue: I don't think 'exit' is the word you're looking for there. But I don't know the mechanism used to get the crystal into our time, so I can't suggest an alternative.
[/ QUOTE ]
I was actually going for ambiguity in the intro text. I want the player to think the same as you, so that finding the Radiant as the final boss is a bit of a surprise.
You actually know exactly as much about the Highest as someone who has played the other 2 arcs. They got squeezed out a bigger part by a growing story, but I do want to leave them in as a bit of a mystery and to indicate there are things going on beyond just the Skulls plans.
I am not sure the map will support a patrol, with the various battles I have going on. I will check that and see, since it would add some variety and more information.
I was afraid that the Radiant's dialogue would be confusing, but I can't figure out anyway to show him fighting his possession. If I could color the word balloons someway that would work, but it isn't possible.
The reason for his death was explained by Mirror Spirit in the exit text of the 4th mission, although you would have to extrapolate what she says about what happens to the people possessed by the Future Skulls.
Exit is actually exactly right for what he saw. I just realized while I know how the fragment got to the present, I never explained it in the arc. More re-writing to do.
[ QUOTE ]
Mission 4 intro does a wonderful exposition of the power behind the baddies.
Mission 4 send off: that is keeps -> that keeps
Death Skull description: in to -> into
Nice mechanics to have villain in the final room, and requiring it to be cleared.
The return message could possibly ask me to come see Mirror Spirit in case I can help with the cleanup. Then I'd have a reason to be here for Mission 5 (which is when a problem is discovered).
[/ QUOTE ]
Good idea for changing the return text. I have to say, the final room looked better before the patch when they changed the destructible objects. It was the altar that healed villains, so it had the green gaseous effect and it really fit with the whole basis for the story. Now it just sits there and breaks.
[ QUOTE ]
And onto the fifth mission. The introduction does a great job of describing the menace, but could go a little further to highlight why this is a "Save the World" arc. How do Future Skulls threaten the world?
Into the mission, I first met an undercover squad member. This confused me, as I hadn't met regular folks. But it makes sense once I realise there's regular squad here too.
Why doesn't the Midnight Squad Researcher want to hang around to help? It says that in his description, although since he's tied up in tendrils, there's no way I can guess he doesn't want to stick around. He just asks me if I've stopped the Bride who I recall from several missions ago. But why is it saying "Last Bride"? The "last" part is never explained.
"The body of this Bride crumbles, just like the last one. Guess they were both from the future." - is this referencing a previous arc?
The Bride could have more epic dialog. Perhaps monomaniacal, world-mashing or world-ruling diatribe, make it feel like a finale.
And we're done! Thanks for the experience.
Cheers, airhead
[/ QUOTE ]
Yes, the bit about the crumbling Bride is referring to the end of the second arc. I could take it out, but it does help explain something for people that played that arc. One of those bits where I need to weigh possible confusion for new players with a slightly enriched play experience for recurring players.
The researcher doesn't want to hang around because he does not have combat powers. Frankly it was something to remove the default description from that hostage because it didn't fit. I will have to some up with something different.
I will have to think about what to do for the Last Bride part. Especially her dialogue, it does look rather flat.
Thanks very much for the detailed look and feedback. It is very helpful to get a fresh look from a newcomer to the Future Skulls. I don't think I will be able to remove everything the references the other arcs, but I should be able to make some things clearer.
Justice Blues, Tech/Tank, Inv/SS
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Fighting The Future Trilogy
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[ QUOTE ]
The level range is like that for the same reason you face such a nasty boss in the first mission. Limited choices for a boss. Legacy Chain bosses in the low levels cover levels 5-9 (Or maybe 10?) and 10-14. There is nothing that covers from 5-14. Since I can't use a Lt. I had to choose one of those ranges, and keeping the top seemed like a better idea to me and some friends I checked with. (Yes, I can set the levels of the mission to 5-14 anyway, but then a level 5 will run into a level 10 final boss. This seemed like a very bad idea. )
[/ QUOTE ]
I believe that you actually can set a lieutenant or even a minion as a boss. The trick is to make a custom group that contains just that one enemy.
At least, this is what I think I recall from my own experimentation. I can't check right now, so it's entirely possible that I'm wrong.
I think there's also a "use random boss" option, which might fix the level range issue - especially if paired with a custom group that contains only the bosses you're willing to have show up.
Actually, I'm pretty sure you can't use random bosses from custom groups. No idea why; I think it was a dev oversight.
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 ]
[ QUOTE ]
The level range is like that for the same reason you face such a nasty boss in the first mission. Limited choices for a boss. Legacy Chain bosses in the low levels cover levels 5-9 (Or maybe 10?) and 10-14. There is nothing that covers from 5-14. Since I can't use a Lt. I had to choose one of those ranges, and keeping the top seemed like a better idea to me and some friends I checked with. (Yes, I can set the levels of the mission to 5-14 anyway, but then a level 5 will run into a level 10 final boss. This seemed like a very bad idea. )
[/ QUOTE ]
I believe that you actually can set a lieutenant or even a minion as a boss. The trick is to make a custom group that contains just that one enemy.
At least, this is what I think I recall from my own experimentation. I can't check right now, so it's entirely possible that I'm wrong.
I think there's also a "use random boss" option, which might fix the level range issue - especially if paired with a custom group that contains only the bosses you're willing to have show up.
[/ QUOTE ]
I have tried both of those options and they don't work. If you create a custom group with just a Lt. from a standard group in it, the custom group will not be on the list of groups to use for choosing a boss. Custom Lts. work fine, but not standard ones. Even editing one and changing a few colors so it is non-standard will not allow it to show up.
And the Random bosses thing doesn't work either. It really is frustrating in these situations.
Justice Blues, Tech/Tank, Inv/SS
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Fighting The Future Trilogy
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@GlaziusF
Comin' at this with a peacebringer on diff 1, to test its lowbie chops.
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Hey MS, I know you're all spacy and everything but would it kill you to tell me where I'm going and what I'm looking for?
Oh, okay. It's a busted-up office where the Skulls' necro immunity is serving them in good stead.
And the mage says... wow. The Skulls have a caster more savvy than Baron Zoria doing some spellhacking. (Zoria was mostly a tool of the Circle, IIRC.)
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And once again she doesn't tell me where he is or what he's doing. Go go police informants, or something.
Fortunately I've got some knockaround so escape is less of an issue.
But, wait. He's not actually instrumental in the rise of the Future Skulls despite his weird proficiency with spells? Be interesting to see what actually IS.
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...I'm beginning to suspect that someone may be messing with her divinations here. Defeat the Legacy Chain?
I mean, it is a time-tested Rogue Isles method of doing magical research, but all the same.
...oh hey. It's those balefire angels. Wonder what they're doing here?
Ah. Okay. So the Future Skulls are possessed by the rainbow of darkness. Or, uh, something. Let's see what the seer can see.
Oh. Heh. Why, that's almost cosmic justice. Almost.
...but if they're misusing the pillar like this, where are the Menders? Shouldn't they be trying to mess with this somehow?
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Man. That mission's here and gone before I can blink an eye. You putting all these on short maps?
I mean, I guess that's alright, but it really just feels like a bunch of little interludes.
The "pillar" is pretty easy to take down.
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Wow. The Midnight Club is compromised by stuff my pre-SO guy can put paid to? I wonder how that happened.
A couple of interesting captives... with a couple of pretty useless clues attached. I was hoping for a little briefing from them or... something.
Weirdly, the angels take down the Legacy Chain but lose big to the Skulls. That says interesting things about redside vs. blueside lowbie content.
One last Bride (who says "pillare" in her opening rant) and that's it.
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Storyline - **. I would rate this higher if it wasn't billed as the end. Correct me if I'm wrong here, but this is what I know now: the Future Skulls exist because they sent their spirits back from the future to create the Future Skulls. "So where did all YOU zombies come from?" There aren't any more clues about the Death Brides, the Highest show up in a cameo when I was expecting to find out something more about them -- or really ANYTHING about them -- and this introduces a new spin involving time travel that I can't believe Ouroboros isn't trying to prevent.
Design - ***. I suspect part of it is because there just isn't enough mission space for anything to happen in. All the maps seem to be short length, and they certainly flew by. The final confrontation, while it "should" take place in the Midnight Club, per the story, really feels a bit perfunctory just because the Midnight Club is such a small small map.
Gameplay - ****. Really the only thing that tripped me up was looking around for a silent ambush when the last boss called for help. I was expecting at least a little wrinkle there.
Detail - ****. No complaints here. Everything was solid and well-formatted.
Overall - ***. An end to the trilogy, but it doesn't feel very satisfying. The problem is solved, but I'm still left with a lot of unanswered questions.
Up with the overworld! Up with exploration! | Want a review of your arc?
My arcs: Dream Paper (ID: 1874) | Bricked Electronics (ID: 2180) | The Bravuran Jobs (ID: 5073) | Backwards Day (ID: 329000) | Operation Fair Trade (ID: 391172)
Thanks for the review.
There are some unanswered questions, partly because of ways the story changed after I did the first arc and started on the second.
[ QUOTE ]
But, wait. He's not actually instrumental in the rise of the Future Skulls despite his weird proficiency with spells? Be interesting to see what actually IS.
[/ QUOTE ]
Yes he was instrumental in their rise. Their future came about because of his messing with the various summoning spells (They didn't bootstrap themselves) and he helped keep it going by using his summoning abilities to pull the shard of the Pillar back from their time to use as a gate and keep their future a possibility. The first part is never stated explicitly, but I thought I put the second in some of Mirror Spirit's text in this arc. So either that edit didn't take or I need to make it more explicit.
[ QUOTE ]
...but if they're misusing the pillar like this, where are the Menders? Shouldn't they be trying to mess with this somehow?
[/ QUOTE ]
Maybe they are. But seriously, the easiest way to explain the lack of action from the Menders is, they know the hero will win because he did already in their history. And they do allow the Midnighter Club to do their own thing with that version of the Pillar, so it is not like they meddle in every time travel event in the game. Besides, I couldn't figure out anyway to have the Future Skulls invade Ouroboros that wasn't completely off the wall.
[ QUOTE ]
Man. That mission's here and gone before I can blink an eye. You putting all these on short maps?
[/ QUOTE ]
Yes actually. For low level arcs, I tend to use the small maps. Some because it is the only one to use, like the Hellions or Skulls office maps. I guess I could actually make this map a bit bigger, since the final map is so small.
That is the most frustrating part of the arc for me. The small map and limited spawn points for the Midnighter Club map. The story really calls for using that map, but there is so little that can happen there, it really doesn't feel like a finale. If they would place one or two spawns in the entrance area, it would really help.
The Highest were supposed to be the focus of the second arc, but that obviously fell by the wayside. I may have been better off keeping with that plan, but the story took off when I had to make some changes due to MA limitations and they ended up remaining a mystery at the end of the arc. As for them losing to the Skulls but beating the Legacy Chain, that is pretty random. I have seen it go the other way on different plays of the arc. There are 5 minions in the group, so the spawn variety is pretty random.
I am not sure what more you wanted to know about the Death Brides, although I did add some stuff to the earlier arcs after you ran them. They are women that were possessed and corrupted, sometimes voluntarily, more often involuntarily, to require killing others to survive.
Thanks again for the review, your comments have given me some ideas for changes, and with luck, some improvements.
Justice Blues, Tech/Tank, Inv/SS
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Fighting The Future Trilogy
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Made a variety of changes to Future Skulls based on the review by Eva Destruction, including making the 2nd mission top at 14. Prior to I16 I never noticed a problem when exemping on my higher levels and it has no effect on low levels, but it does look better to be consistent.
Also added some text in various places to try and answer some of the very good questions she brought up. I hope I succeeded, since the last change I made to the arc was setting it to Final so I can enter it in the Contest. I just need to figure out which category to try for.
Justice Blues, Tech/Tank, Inv/SS
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Fighting The Future Trilogy
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Some of us in the MA-Arc SG ran your arcs today. I only managed to join in the last two due to a slight delay (2hrs) due to timezone difference misunderstanding 
but they were both highly enjoyable, and I'll probably be running them again solo too (as well as the first one of course).
I grabbed a few screenshots of the mayhem, whilst I was in there:
The minions of Igneous take a pasting from Bootstrap, K10, Mook Buster and Malpractice!
Go go team MA!
Mook Buster and November Man give it some!
Miss Jersey deals out a hiding, and Malpractice gets angry!
Apologies to the other team members for no screenshots, it was a bit difficult to buff and screengrab lol.
Great fun, highly recommended for lowbies.
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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Looks like you had fun. Glad the arcs worked for a team, I try to make them for soloers and I know that can sometimes not work well for teams.
Justice Blues, Tech/Tank, Inv/SS
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Fighting The Future Trilogy
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With the publication of my 3rd arc in the Future Skulls story, I though it was time to start a thread here. Their story is now complete, although not all of the loose ends in the 3 arcs are neatly tied up. The arcs are:
Title: Future Skulls
ID: 4727
Levels: 1-15
Description: The Skulls are just a street gang now. But they have big plans for the future. Mirror Spirit asks for your help to stop one of them.
Title: Simple Times
ID: 70801
Levels: 5-14
Description: Talshak the Mystic has asked for your help with a minor clean up mission in a warehouse. Happens all the time, no big deal, just giving someone a quick helping hand. At least that was how it started. Sequel to Future Skulls.
Title: Future's End
ID: 255895
Levels: 5-14
Description: Mirror Spirit has contacted you again. She thinks it is time to finish off the Future Skulls, and she thinks she knows how to do it, with your help.
All of the arcs have the keywords Solo Friendly, Canon Related, and Save the World. They are also all labeled with [SFMA/LBMA] and are under the global Justice Blues.
I tried to make these arcs a true trilogy, all related and telling a story, but each able to stand on its own. There are no EBs or AVs in the arcs, and I tried to keep the Custom Critters balanced and not overpowering.
I welcome any feedback or comments about the arcs and the story.
Justice Blues, Tech/Tank, Inv/SS
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Fighting The Future Trilogy
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