Testing Missions in an Arc
Wanting to test a specific mission in your arc without playing through the rest? Simply drag and drop the mission you want to test to be number one in the list. Remember to drop it back afterward before publishing!
Right-click on MA Contact text
You'll be surprised (well, I was) as to what you can do - colours, fontsize and other formatting is available!
Architect HTML tags and Text Substitutiion Variables
Many text fields let you select some text and right-click to set options like italics, bold or text colour. But you can enter these in the text (and that should give you some benefits like access to any colour rather than choosing from a short list) and that also lets you succesfully use these in some fields that do not have th epopup menu options (though some text fields do not interperet the HTML an dvariables - it's trial & error if you want to go off piste)...
This isn't exhaustive but:
* In most text entry boxes (e.g. the mission introduction) highlight some text and you can right click and get the formatting options in a popup menu.
These options tend, IIRC, to not show all possible settings, but give an idea of what you can enter manually. e.g. IIRC there are only about 8 colours shown in th emenu, but you can enter any 3-byte RGB triplet in hexadecimal.
* Color can be set by <color #rrggbb>text to colour</color> where rrggbb is the hexadecimal red,green and blue components of the colour.
* It looks like you can use <scale d.d>text to resize</scale> where d.d is the numerical sizing factor, with 1.0 being normal default. Less than 1 is smaller than default, greater than 1 is bigger.
* <i></i> can be used for italics.
* <b></b> can be used for bold.
* <br> for break. Not checked if it's happy with <br/>...
* AFAIK the text substitution variables appear to be:
$name - the character name (e.g. Judgement Dave)
$class - the character AT (e.g. blaster)
$origin - the characters origin (e.g. technology)
$level - the characters level, although I'm unsure if this is security level or combat level
$supergroup - the characters SG/VG (e.g. The Redeemed)
$target - can be used by some mobs IIRC to refer to their targetted entity - this may not always be what you expect it to be, and it's better to avoid using this in MA arc dialog
$himher - 'him' if it's a male/large character and 'her' if it's female
$heshe - 'he' if it's a male/large character and 'she' if it's female
$hisher - 'his' if it's a male/large character and 'her' if it's female
* I suspect that many special character codes (&nbsp; &amp; &gt; &lt; etc) can be used, but the client seemed to get confused when I was using &lt;mock tag&gt; to get angled brackets in my Handyman arc for mock tags - it showed fine when I entered it, but tended to mess up upon reloading it and replaced the &lt; &gt; with <> and then tried treating the whole thing (with text between the symbols) as a tag. In the end I used square brackets for my text mock tags...
By my mohawk shall ye know me!
my toons
Funny: Ee-Ai-Ee-Ai-Oh! #3662 * The foul-mouthed Handyman! #1076 * City of Norms #132944
Serious: To Save A Single World (#83744) * Marketing Opportunity (#83747)
MA may be 'TF mode' but you can invite midway!
There's still some people get confused about this, but then the messages given by the system aren't clear!
Even though MA arcs are similar to TFs in that you can't contact usual contacts they are different regarding inviting members to the team. You can invite new team members midway through a MA arc.
So even if that arc suddenly springs multiple AVs on you, you can call in reinforcements!
By my mohawk shall ye know me!
my toons
Funny: Ee-Ai-Ee-Ai-Oh! #3662 * The foul-mouthed Handyman! #1076 * City of Norms #132944
Serious: To Save A Single World (#83744) * Marketing Opportunity (#83747)
Alternate Costumes for Allies/Bosses/Escorts/Contacts
Originally posted by Damz... whichever Damz it was at the time - think it was Noobbuster!
When your selecting a SINGLE npc, there are sometimes multiple outfits that character has. On the right hand side where the npc animates, if it has multiple cossies there is a small white arrow. Click it to get the next cossie!
Example:
On pets > soldiers = 3 difference costumes iirc.
By my mohawk shall ye know me!
my toons
Funny: Ee-Ai-Ee-Ai-Oh! #3662 * The foul-mouthed Handyman! #1076 * City of Norms #132944
Serious: To Save A Single World (#83744) * Marketing Opportunity (#83747)
[ QUOTE ]
MA may be 'TF mode' but you can invite midway!
There's still some people get confused about this, but then the messages given by the system aren't clear!
Even though MA arcs are similar to TFs in that you can't contact usual contacts they are different regarding inviting members to the team. You can invite new team members midway through a MA arc.
So even if that arc suddenly springs multiple AVs on you, you can call in reinforcements!
[/ QUOTE ]
however, if you have a full team and one person logs, if they dont actually quit tf and just log, although it will let you invite and recruit another person it wont let them enter the mission
Pay attention to the 'Details' numbers on your selected map
Some maps allow multiple details (and some specify what those details are allowed to be) at Front/Middle/Back whilst others are stricter.
Want your Boss to spawn at the back of the map after clicking a glowie at the back too? Check the details section and see if it's possible. If not then try a different map.
This tip was given to me by Soul Storm and has been invaluable!
Some maps don't have a Front/Middle/Back
These maps tend to be the outdoor maps (Such as Atlas Park and Steel Canyon), but can also apply to small caves without doors. Again, check the details section on your map to see if there are any restrictions on the details you can add.
[ QUOTE ]
Alternate Costumes for Allies/Bosses/Escorts/Contacts
Originally posted by Damz... whichever Damz it was at the time - think it was Noobbuster!
When your selecting a SINGLE npc, there are sometimes multiple outfits that character has.
[/ QUOTE ]
Also it works with some destructible objects and glowies, e.g. cars and trucks.
The 'Empty Room' Trick
To do this you need to:
1) Add one final objective e.g. Defeat the boss
2) Add a destructible object that spawns when the final objective is completed, this preferably should be placed far away so the player won't see it.
3) Add a patrol that spawns when the you destroy the object, and fill in the max number of allowed patrols.
An alternate version of the empty room could be the surprise mass ambush, in which case just skip the destructible object, and have the patrols spawn the moment you complete a particular objective.
Escort That Betrays
If you want an escort that betrays, remember you need to set the escort to anything other than 'non-combat' while also flagging it for betray.
A Penny For Your Thoughts #348691 <- Dev's Choice'd by Dr. Aeon!
Submit your MA arc for review & my arcs thread
2 For 1 Custom Mobs
It's pretty well known that the AI has problems when it comes to weapon switching, you can use this to your advantage by giving some of your mobs one weapon powerset and one non-weapon powerset. Most of the time, mobs will stick to either using their weapon or non-weapon attacks giving the illusion of mob variety.
Keep in mind that if you were to pick for example a melee weapon set, then the 2nd choice has to be a non-weapon melee set, don't give them a mix of melee/ranged/assault sets.
A Penny For Your Thoughts #348691 <- Dev's Choice'd by Dr. Aeon!
Submit your MA arc for review & my arcs thread
This one cropped up recently on the US boards courtesy of Positron.
If you find a real stinker of an AE arc, and consider 1 star too generous, you can click twice on 1 star to give a zero star rating.
Warning:
The above post may contain Cynicism, sarcasm and/or pessimism. If you object to the quantities contained, then tough.
Grouping Objectives
You can group objectives under one header, so long as the share the same singular and plural objective name.
For example:
1) Have one glowie that's a computer.
2) Fill in the singular and plural details i.e. X 'more evidence to gather'.
3) Have another glowie, say a box.
4) Now give it the same singular and plural details.
A Penny For Your Thoughts #348691 <- Dev's Choice'd by Dr. Aeon!
Submit your MA arc for review & my arcs thread
Had to answer a few problems about this one recently.. so I guess I'll add it to the list:
Republishing Arcs
You can edit published arcs and republish them to preserve the arc id and any ratings that it has.
To do this:
1 - Access the published story from the 'My Published Stories' screen
2 - Select the 'EDIT' button and make your changes.
3 - Most of the 'Save' buttons in the MA editor will have changed from 'Save' to 'Republish' (e.g. 'Save and Exit' -> 'Republish and Exit') so select the appropriate one and republish.
After several seconds you should see a message in your chat tabs (think it's using the 'Architect Entertainment' channel) saying 'arcname' has been updated.
If you do it this way (My Published Stories -> EDIT -> republish) then the ID and ratings remain intact. If you unpublish, edit and then publish again your arc will be assigned a new arc id and will not keep any of it's previous ratings.
Also note that the 'Browse and Play' screen shows you 'UNPUBLISH', 'PLAY' and 'COMPLAINTS' (where applicable) for your published arcs, but the 'EDIT' button is only available on the 'My published Stories' screen.
By my mohawk shall ye know me!
my toons
Funny: Ee-Ai-Ee-Ai-Oh! #3662 * The foul-mouthed Handyman! #1076 * City of Norms #132944
Serious: To Save A Single World (#83744) * Marketing Opportunity (#83747)
Make a boss flee without failing the mission by setting it up as a rescue mission with the boss as the victim.
Also, if you want to make a branching storyline , set it up like a Choose Your Own Adventure - if you kill the boss go to 54161 if you let them live go to 17160.
Please fight My Brute: http://2hero.mybrute.com
Mission Architect 54161 - Michael Mundano, Megan Malloney and the Secret Senate.
Mission Architect 91838 - Constantinople Jones' Family Secret. A One Mission Story arc.
I think i can submit my own little tip:
Never give your custom group minions buff/debuff or control sets. As they spawn more than anything stacked buffs/debuffs can make your players give up and stacked mezzes can even make tankers weep.
Also if you intend to make your custom mob for certain level range, study that level range's mobs.
Civilian Protesters
I use this in one of my missions where the player walks into the middle of a protest. Have a release captive objective, where the guy captured is one of the civvies, and have the surrounding enemy group be a different group of civvies (you'll need to make a group of custom mobs in this case). Set up their animations so they're using the protest signs, and set the surrounding group as an 'ally' so they won't attack the player (and nor can the player disrupt them).
Unless you have enemy patrols, very rarely will they end up fighting the other enemies (which was rather funny in my case since the enemy were PPD), though you can add a few lines in the combat field to explain it away if it does happen, such as a protest getting violent.
You could also use this for other things, such as dancing groups, people hanging around, etc.
A Penny For Your Thoughts #348691 <- Dev's Choice'd by Dr. Aeon!
Submit your MA arc for review & my arcs thread
Getting a feel for NPC dialogue
Reading over contact arcs and dialogues can give you a better 'in-character' feel for things they would and wouldn't say.
http://wiki.cohtitan.com/wiki/Main_Page is, as ever, a good resource.
Defiant 50: Blonde Justice inv/ss; Lady Aminta emp/elec; Sierra Colt merc/traps; Tess LaCoyle elec/elec (blaster); Powerstorm elec/elec (brute);
Union 50: @Steel Dancer WP/DB; Blast Pulse Fire/Rad (corr); Bitter Twilight Earth/Psi (dom); Compassionate Emp/Psi;
Freedom 50: Incandescent Blaze ElecAm/Fire;
[ QUOTE ]
MA may be 'TF mode' but you can invite midway!
There's still some people get confused about this, but then the messages given by the system aren't clear!
Even though MA arcs are similar to TFs in that you can't contact usual contacts they are different regarding inviting members to the team. You can invite new team members midway through a MA arc.
So even if that arc suddenly springs multiple AVs on you, you can call in reinforcements!
[/ QUOTE ]
Be warey though! If your team is already at 8 members and one logs out without quiting the TF, you would technically still be at a full 8 members, and thus any new invites would not be able to enter the mission!
Adding Dynamism to Missions
A splendid a game as CoH is, missions are essentially fairly static affairs: there are a lot of enemies standing around on a map and the mission is completed by knocking over some or all of them. Over the course of the game's history the developers have gradually added a number of new features to try to make missions feel more dynamic.
Arc designers can use a number of small, easy to implement tricks to add dynamism to their own missions and arcs, the key element of which is the use of dialogue.
For example: in the third mission of my story arc Wheels Within Wheels, a boss set to spawn at the front of the map has some in-combat dialogue which gives the heroes an insight into his mission. At the same time as this dialogue fires off, a new mission objective set to the middle of the map spawns which relates to that boss's communication. When the boss is defeated, the heroes receive a clue which reinforces the connection between the boss and the new objective in their nav bar.
Now, it would have been perfectly possible just to have the second mission objective active right from the start. The players would have completed the same objectives in the same order. But by using a little imagination, as described above, the mission feels more dynamic: it feels like things are moving, and that there are things already going on on the map which the heroes are now involved in.
Another example. In the first mission of the same arc, there is an ambush which occurs when a boss reaches one quarter health, but rather than simply having the ambush trigger, I have set up the boss's dialogue and the dialogue of the ambush to form what sounds like a sequence of radio communications where the boss is calling in reinforcements and the ambushing troops are responding.
None of this is very difficult, and I am sure many creative arc designers are already using similar techniques, but it does help to give the encounters the players have that little something extra.
No doubt creative story arc designers will come up with lots of other such ideas.
[ QUOTE ]
Architect HTML tags and Text Substitution Variables
$himher - 'him' if it's a male/large character and 'her' if it's female
$heshe - 'he' if it's a male/large character and 'she' if it's female
$hisher - 'his' if it's a male/large character and 'her' if it's female
[/ QUOTE ]
I never mentioned in the original post about these that they can also use capitalisation by capitalising the H's.
e.g.
$himher will become "him" or "her".
$HimHer will become "Him" or "Her".
By my mohawk shall ye know me!
my toons
Funny: Ee-Ai-Ee-Ai-Oh! #3662 * The foul-mouthed Handyman! #1076 * City of Norms #132944
Serious: To Save A Single World (#83744) * Marketing Opportunity (#83747)
Didn't spot an existing tips & Tricks thread in the Mission Architect section of the boards, so... here goes.
Trying to start this off by gathering together some of the beta help snippets, tips & tricks before they get purged. If someone else posted the tip originally I'll give credit, but let me know if you object and want it removing.
By my mohawk shall ye know me!
my toons
Funny: Ee-Ai-Ee-Ai-Oh! #3662 * The foul-mouthed Handyman! #1076 * City of Norms #132944
Serious: To Save A Single World (#83744) * Marketing Opportunity (#83747)