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Originally Posted by Wrong_Number
"Ever done a radio mission and pondered what the devs were thinking when they named the boss? Should these guys be out on the streets? Ms. Manners doesn't think so and she needs your help to round up the worst of the worst starting with a boss named Manhandle. It only goes down hill from there."
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Originally Posted by Venture
one joke stretched out to three missions
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What shall claim a Sky Kings' Ransom?
PPD & Resistance Epic Archetypes
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Sadly, Venture got that wrong too, so you are basing your conclusions on incorrect information from someone who states they don't enjoy that type of humor anyways. News flash: Venture's opinion does not = fact.|
Originally Posted by SkarmoryThePG
Nope, don't see it.
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WN
Check out one of my most recent arcs:
457506 - A Very Special Episode - An abandoned TV, a missing kid's TV show host and more
416951 - The Ms. Manners Task Force - More wacky villains, Wannabes. things in poor taste
or one of my other arcs including two 2010 Player's Choice Winners and an2009 Official AE Awards Nominee for Best Original Story
Arc #1567, "MacGuffin Delivery Service"
tl;dr: 4 stars. Offenses: "just a bunch of stuff that happened" (but comedic), tedium overshadows the comedy at the end
Reviewed on: 3/12/2010
Level Range: 35-40
Morality: Villainous
Factions: Generic, Family, Circle of Thorns, Paragon Police, Tsoo, Carnies, Wailers, Nemesis, Longbow
Architect's Keywords: Solo Friendly, Complex Mechanics, Comedy
My Keywords: Solo Friendly, Comedy
Character used: Jessica Ballantine/Champion
Difficulty: +0x2+B-AV
THE SKINNY: You steal a statue of a bird from a pawn shop and find out the hard way that just about everyone else in the world wants it. Just to make things more fun, the statue is indestructible and cursed. It always returns after you get rid of it. You have to raid Orenbega to find a means of disposing of it, which involves a visit to MAGI complete with a cast of (seemingly) thousands.
WHAT WORKS: Act II has a very clever setup with friendly NPCs that have dialog as you approach. The comedy works more often than it doesn't; some of it is too low-key.
WHAT DOESN'T: There's a Rocks Falls Everyone Dies type ambush in the first act, though technically it's after the mission completes so you can just click out. Another one hit me in act II and that one couldn't be avoided. The only stock Family Boss at this level is the Consigliere with Singularity pet, which are just wretched for squishies.
WHAT STINKS: The last map is way too big and overplays the joke. You can stealth it (I think) but that guts your XP and ticket gains.
ANYTHING ELSE? Act III has mid-level Circle of Thorns, meaning you get to fight some of the most despised mobs in the game. It does say that on the label though, so if it bugs you, stay out. I faceplanted more often than I would have liked but I did bring a sub-level character into the arc. Because of the enemies used the arc is probably best played by something with status protection (of course, what isn't.)
VERDICT: Good, but could be great if it was tightened up.
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"
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Serves you right for trying to solo a level 35 arc with a level 28 Blaster. A Corruptor or Dominator, especially of the proper level, should have no issues with difficulty whatsoever.|
Originally Posted by Venture
WHAT DOESN'T: There's a Rocks Falls Everyone Dies type ambush in the first act, though technically it's after the mission completes so you can just click out. Another one hit me in act II and that one couldn't be avoided. The only stock Family Boss at this level is the Consigliere with Singularity pet, which are just wretched for squishies.
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When I set a level range on an arc, I really do mean that you should be of at least that level. Complaining about stock mobs is rather silly as well when nothing tougher than a boss appears and you deliberately handicapped yourself.
Arc #316340, "Husk"
tl;dr: 2 stars. Offenses: "just a bunch of stuff that happened", Killer GMing, semi-undeclared timed mission, poorly written canon character
Reviewed on: 3/12/2010
Level Range: 35-54/40-54/35-54/5-54/5-54
Morality: Neutral
Factions: Circle of Thorns, Freakshow
Architect's Keywords: Challenging, Save the World, Horror
My Keywords:
Character used: Jessica Ballantine/Champion
Difficulty: +0x2+B-AV
THE SKINNY: Azuria loses something from the vault; film at 11. This time she's so incompetent she doesn't even know what was stolen until you retrieve it: a book. Following up on the theft leads to stopping ritual sacrifice of co-eds, one of which is a "husk", a body born without a soul (so to whom am I speaking?). This makes her susceptible to possession. Wackiness ensues.
WHAT WORKS: I got a new weekly high score in Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook thanks to all the downtime in this arc.
WHAT DOESN'T: Azuria's voice is way off. Hostages in act II are mostly named after characters and actors on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Act III uses the Midnighter's Club map which is not only absurdly overused but bugged; I got dropped out of it on one entry. Act IV is timed but the warning in the briefing is easy to miss. This is particularly egregious since act IV isn't the last mission, meaning it doesn't really matter as far as the story is concerned whether you succeed or fail.
WHAT STINKS: The level range, which is worth -1 star off the bat. Just to make matters worse I got green and blue cons on the first map. All of the Bosses have excessive spawns: Boss, 2 LTs, 2 Minions at the stated difficulty, with no clear reason why a spawn that size was needed. The arc's first Big Bad appears to be Mind Control/Fire Blast, giving her an insane attack chain and controls and attacks that bypass positional Defense. The second has Fiery Aura turned up high enough for status protection. The final AV is named Ia R'l'yeh and his info says: " His name is unspeakable. Where he comes from is unknown. He wants to eat your children." Really. Oh, and he's Fire Melee/Dark Armor and could kill Jess in two hits.
ANYTHING ELSE? The arc is almost completely devoid of any actual horror. Most of the Clues are superfluous. The plot doesn't really make any sense; it's never made clear why it's so important for the Circle to have a "husk" for this ceremony, or what they were really planning (unleashing Things Man Was Not Meant To Know to destroy the world is not really their style).
VERDICT: An exercise in tedium devoid of any real point. Skip it.
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"
Wait...you're docking an arc I wrote for the spawn size I have no control over? Or a map that wasn't bugged but now seems to be?
Also...um...didn't name any characters after Buffy the Vampire Slayer...a show I never watched past the first season.
And...there's no "down time" in that arc. I don't even know what that means. Except for the 2nd mission I chose shorter maps to prevent that.
And what does this even mean?
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There's no character even remotely resembling that in the arc. If you're going to review something, don't lie about it.| Character used: Jessica Ballantine/Champion |
The timed mission also does have different dialogue dependent upon success or failure. I didn't realize there was a rule that a timed mission had to be the final mission.
It's funny...every one else who's run that arc enjoyed it. The noted forum troll did not.
Take from that what you will.
Thanks for running it, anyway.
Arc# 92382 -- "The S.P.I.D.E.R. and the Tyrant" -- Ninjas! Robots! Praetorians! It's totally epic! Play it now!
Arc # 316340 -- "Husk" -- Azuria loses something, a young woman harbors a dark secret, and the fate of the world is in your hands.
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Its the character he ran the arc with. The link will net you the powersets for those who are curious, I imagine.
| Character used: Jessica Ballantine/Champion |
Infinity
Sam Varden 50 MA/Reg Scrap
Doomtastic 50 SS/Inv Brute
Ceus 50 Eng/Kin Corr
Cinderstorm 50 Fire/Fire Blaster
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So it's bugged like just about every other map?|
Originally Posted by Venture
Act III uses the Midnighter's Club map which is not only absurdly overused but bugged; I got dropped out of it on one entry.
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| The second has Fiery Aura turned up high enough for status protection. |
Stupid little complaints over stuff authors have no control over only serve to 1) show that you are not as smart as you think you are, and 2) make any legitimate complaints you have seem just as petty by association.
Eva Destruction AR/Fire/Munitions Blaster
Darkfire Avenger DM/SD/Body Scrapper
Arc ID#161629 Freaks, Geeks, and Men in Black
Arc ID#431270 Until the End of the World
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He's either referring to the boss spawn size or the level ranges. At the difficulty he was at, the 'Small' boss spawn setting should spawn the Boss and two minions. If he's talking about the level ranges, those are adjustable on Page 1 of any given mission.|
Originally Posted by Defenestrator
Wait...you're docking an arc I wrote for the spawn size I have no control over?
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| And...there's no "down time" in that arc. I don't even know what that means. |
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| There's no character even remotely resembling that in the arc. If you're going to review something, don't lie about it. |
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| The timed mission also does have different dialogue dependent upon success or failure. I didn't realize there was a rule that a timed mission had to be the final mission. |
61866 - A Series of Unfortunate Kidnappings - More than a coincidence?
2260 - The Burning of Hearts - A green-eyed monster holds the match.
379248 - The Spider Without Fangs - NEW - Some lessons learned (more or less.)
Actually, he meant that the timed mission didn't really matter because mission 5 continues on exactly the same whether you pass or fail the mission 4 timer. You do have the different return dialog, but after that it makes no difference. When the last mission is a timed mission, it creates two different ending possibilities.
Also...um...didn't name any characters after Buffy the Vampire Slayer...a show I never watched past the first season.
So they are coincidently called Buffy, Sara, Michelle, Eliza, Dawn... Oh and Buffy says 'I'm going back to cheerleading' when rescued
Arc #155618, "The Devil Went Down to Paragon"
tl;dr: 1 star. Offenses: "just a bunch of stuff that happened", disjointed level range, undeclared timed missions, Killer GMing
Reviewed on: 3/13/2010
Level Range: 35-54/1-54/15-21/1-54
Morality: Villainous
Factions: Vanguard Shield, Custom, Bat'zul
Architect's Keywords: none
My Keywords:
Character used: Jessica Ballantine/Champion
Difficulty: +0x2+B-AV
THE SKINNY: "Harbinger", who looks to be some kind of demon (and is eventually revealed to be the Devil himself) offers you the Devil's help in defeating your nemesis, Booster Blue (whom I've never heard of, but let's just play along for now...). Of course this means giving the Devil your soul. Getting your soul back requires enlisting the aid of "Johnny Daniels", a fiddle player who once...oh, you heard this one.
WHAT WORKS: It's nowhere near as pretentious as "Blight".
WHAT DOESN'T: Booster Blue's /info says he's the younger brother of Booster Blue...um...oh, and he's "bringing sexy back"...right. A Clue you're supposed to get in Act III is actually given in Act II. Act II is actually labeled Act III for that matter. The author consistently misspells "yutz" as "yuts".
WHAT STINKS: Acts II and III are timed with no warning at all. None of the mobs in the custom "Hell Inc" faction have descriptions and they all look the same. Mobs have piles of obnoxious powers, including AVs with both BuildUp and Aim.
ANYTHING ELSE? The last mission uses the Ruladak map, the one with about ten feet of visibility. Some people don't mind this, most seem to hate it.
VERDICT: Where are Tom, Crow and Mike when we need them?
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"
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Lazy Venture, not using an embedded screenshot of his characters, meet lazy players who can't be bothered to feed the hit counter on his site. And why should they, I guess? |
Originally Posted by Kasoh
Its the character he ran the arc with. The link will net you the powersets for those who are curious, I imagine.
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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)
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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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Most people don't want to see screenshots of my characters, and the link has some other bits as well, such as power sets, bio, a brief blurb and in some cases build information (mostly out of date, I kept hoping they'd get the Vault working. Of course CO's developers were able to do all this for me automatically but I digress.)
And my site doesn't even have a hit counter.
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"
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You don't have a hit counter? My site's got nothing but a hit counter! |
Originally Posted by Venture
Most people don't want to see screenshots of my characters, and the link has some other bits as well, such as power sets, bio, a brief blurb and in some cases build information (mostly out of date, I kept hoping they'd get the Vault working. Of course CO's developers were able to do all this for me automatically but I digress.)
And my site doesn't even have a hit counter. |
And I, at least, do want to see screenshots of your characters. I love a good screenie, me!
But it's your thread, your rules, obviously.
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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While I don't think highly of Venture... HA HA HA HA. Please.
'I didn't get these names from Buffy' is an outright lie, which is extra funny given Defenestrator's astonishing inability to figure out what 'character choice: Jessica' meant and then call Venture a liar. ??? Uh.
I didn't click the link to Jessica, and it doesn't really matter that much for the review.
Also, anyone who uses poorly announced or unannounced timed missions deserves a 1 star unless the arc makes me weep for joy at the sudden understanding of life and love.
Venture's criticisms about spawn size and map bugs are a load of dingo's leavings, but sounds like the rest of the arc is more than enough to justify the rating.
I'll vouch for Defenestrator since I don't feel he'd lie and because I also came dangerously close to an accidental matching name on a character in one of my own arcs. However, while I didn't catch it when I first ran the arc, the names are begging to be nitpicked, despite the fact that on its own "Buffy" works well as a name for a ditzy cheerleader.
On the flip side, I think Def was too quick to jump on the fact that it was Venture who did the review. Take a day, look back over it, and prune what you can.
Arc #1379, "Axis and Allies
tl;dr: 3 stars. Offenses: "just a bunch of stuff that happened", some overpowered mobs
Reviewed on: 3/13/2010
Level Range: 40-44
Morality: Villainous
Factions: Custom
Architect's Keywords: Non-Canon Story, Rule the World
My Keywords: same
Character used: Jessica Ballantine/Champion
Difficulty: +0x2+B-AV
THE SKINNY: Schadenfreude (no bio, evidently the female precursor to the current Vampiri by that name also seen in another of the author's arcs) wants your help in preventing the Nazi's defeat in World War II via Ouroborus. Your first task is to violate the Hitler Time Travel Exemption principle and take him out, which surprisingly works. You Keep What You Kill, so A Stupid Jetpack Hitler Is You! Next comes a romp through some famous WWII battles and a showdown with Statesman and Maiden Justice for the win.
WHAT WORKS: The author uses a number of historical references, most of which are sound (see below). The repurposing of custom mobs is pretty creative.
WHAT DOESN'T: Schadenfreude refers to Hitler as "Shicklgruber" at one point, which is a popular misconception. There are a few Boss and EB Masterminds that also call ambushes, which is a bit much, and the Russian generals, between their own powers and supporters, have a ton of control and slow effects (the monitor showed -190% Recharge at times). This really ramped up the tedium.
WHAT STINKS: Nothing.
ANYTHING ELSE? IMO, Hitler should not have been superpowered...you should have to fight everything this side of the Archangel Michael to get to him, but once you do he should go down in one shot. Making the player his replacement doesn't really serve the plot at all. Unless the PC is a military or political genius it doesn't really produce better results than leaving Hitler in charge. (Of course, in reality replacing Hitler with anyone wouldn't have helped. Germany couldn't have won with any aid short of divine intervention.) Better, I think, to have Himmler or Goering step up (having Rommel do it would be vaguely annoying to many, I think, which would almost make it worth doing) and declare the PC to be the "Hero of the Fatherland" or such. There is no real theme to the arc, and it's hard to come up with a means to add one.
VERDICT: It's better than your average shooting gallery, but a shooting gallery nonetheless.
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 #61013, "The Invasion of the Bikini-Clad Samurai Vampiresses From Outer Space"
tl;dr: 5 stars. Nits: "just a bunch of stuff that happened" (but comedic), some problematic ambushes
Reviewed on: 3/14/2010
Level Range: 5-25
Morality: Heroic
Factions: Lost, Custom
Architect's Keywords: Solo-Friendly, Non-Canon Story, Comedy
My Keywords:
Character used: Jessica Ballantine/Champion
Difficulty: +0x2+B-AV
THE SKINNY: Ed Wood needs your help in stemming off a threat so horrible as to defy description...either that or he's making a bad movie again, we're not sure which...OK, we are. Wackiness ensues, largely involving actors that can't quite remember their lines.
WHAT WORKS: The dialog and (most) /info panels are fall-down funny.
WHAT DOESN'T: Retasked Banished Pantheon mobs have stock descriptions. Bosses tend to have ambushes that are more than a bit large for a comedy arc.
WHAT STINKS: The real Ed Wood's work...but nothing in this arc.
ANYTHING ELSE? Just a heads-up, the custom mobs are pretty much immune to stuns. This really ruined Jess' day, as she depends on stuns to stay alive.
VERDICT: Hilarious, recommended.
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"
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Thanks for the play-through! I realize this arc has several things you hate in it, so 3 stars is better than I would've expected. |
Originally Posted by Venture
Arc #1379, "Axis and Allies
tl;dr: 3 stars. Offenses: "just a bunch of stuff that happened", some overpowered mobs |
Quote:
| THE SKINNY: Schadenfreude (no bio, evidently the female precursor to the current Vampiri by that name also seen in another of the author's arcs) wants your help in preventing the Nazi's defeat in World War II |
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| WHAT WORKS: The author uses a number of historical references, most of which are sound (see below). The repurposing of custom mobs is pretty creative. |
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| WHAT DOESN'T: Schadenfreude refers to Hitler as "Shicklgruber" at one point, which is a popular misconception. |
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| There are a few Boss and EB Masterminds that also call ambushes, which is a bit much, and the Russian generals, between their own powers and supporters, have a ton of control and slow effects (the monitor showed -190% Recharge at times). This really ramped up the tedium. |
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| ANYTHING ELSE? IMO, Hitler should not have been superpowered...you should have to fight everything this side of the Archangel Michael to get to him, but once you do he should go down in one shot. |
I do think having to fight through lots of Nazis to get to him does justify him calling some ambushes when attacked, though.
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| Making the player his replacement doesn't really serve the plot at all. Unless the PC is a military or political genius it doesn't really produce better results than leaving Hitler in charge. (Of course, in reality replacing Hitler with anyone wouldn't have helped. Germany couldn't have won with any aid short of divine intervention.) |
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| VERDICT: It's better than your average shooting gallery, but a shooting gallery nonetheless. |
This arc is my earliest effort and I'm somewhat aware that it is weaker on story than the others. Thanks for giving it a try!
@PW - Police Woman (50 AR/dev blaster on Liberty)
TALOS - PW war journal - alternate contact tree using MA story arcs
=VICE= "Give me Liberty, or give me debt!"
Oh hey Venture's back =)
-STEELE =)
Allied to all sides so that no matter what, I'll come out on top!
Oh, and Crimson demands you play this arc-> Twisted Knives (MA Arc #397769)
Arc #13579, "Falling Through the Cracks"
tl;dr: 3 stars. Offenses: Shoot the Shaggy Dog ending, typos, lack of polish, weak theme
Reviewed on: 3/1/52010
Level Range: 20-29/20-29/20-29/25-35/3-54
Morality: Heroic
Factions: Warriors, Family, Crey, Custom
Architect's Keywords: Easy, Solo Friendly, Drama
My Keywords: same
Character used: Jessica Ballantine/Champion
Difficulty: +0x2+B-AV
THE SKINNY: Maggie Watson (no bio) needs your help in dealing with her kid brother Ernie, who is a hero wannabe. Ernie gets into a variety of troublesome encounters over the course of a year, which you bail him out of.
WHAT WORKS: An NPC shows a bit of chivalry by honoring you with some aid after you defeat him. There is a theme but the arc doesn't do much with it. While I'm normally not fond of discontinuous level ranges in this case the arc has a good excuse for it.
WHAT DOESN'T: The dialog is uninspired and the arc lacks polish in general. There's a potential Rocks Fall Everyone Dies ambush in act III. A custom faction in act IV has no descriptions on its mobs, which are turned up a bit much.
WHAT STINKS: The arc has a Shoot the Shaggy Dog ending (yes, the kid dies, as if you couldn't guess).
ANYTHING ELSE? Watch out for mobs that resist stuns in act IV, and mobs that see through stealth in acts IV and V.
VERDICT: Somewhere in here there is a five-star arc trying to get out. For now, it's only a three.
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"
Quote:
Thanks for the review! I'm going to have to put bios for the stock mobs I guess, I left them as default as a wink and a nod to Ed's penchant for re-using stock footage and stealing random props from television studios (same reason as to why there's so many random mobs in Act III), but apparently my audience wants bios everywhere!|
Originally Posted by Venture
Arc #61013, "The Invasion of the Bikini-Clad Samurai Vampiresses From Outer Space"
tl;dr: 5 stars. Nits: "just a bunch of stuff that happened" (but comedic), some problematic ambushes |
I can tone down the ambushes too, other than line delivery they're not really that vital, though I like to have a couple of rough spots in my arcs to make the player use them inspirations. Act II is the biggest offender in this respect only because medium+ is the best way to give the Hydra Tentacles a chance to spawn (which, when it works, seems to be the most effective gag in the arc; I mean, if someone sends you as feedback "I got tentacle ***** in mission 2 because I couldn't stop laughing
" you know you're doing something right.) Hydra tentacles are not spawning lately, I've poked Doc Aeon about it but while he said he'll look into it, I'm guessing he's got more pressing matters at the moment Quote:
| VERDICT: Hilarious, recommended. |
Players' Choice Awards: Best Dual-Origin Level Range Arc!
It's a new era, the era of the Mission Architect. Can you save the Universe from...
The Invasion of the Bikini-clad Samurai Vampiresses from Outer Space? - Arc ID 61013
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Maybe you could work that fact into the bios somehow? That way you don't have to remove the original bio.
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Originally Posted by Aliana Blue
Thanks for the review! I'm going to have to put bios for the stock mobs I guess, I left them as default as a wink and a nod to Ed's penchant for re-using stock footage and stealing random props from television studios (same reason as to why there's so many random mobs in Act III), but apparently my audience wants bios everywhere!
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61866 - A Series of Unfortunate Kidnappings - More than a coincidence?
2260 - The Burning of Hearts - A green-eyed monster holds the match.
379248 - The Spider Without Fangs - NEW - Some lessons learned (more or less.)
From the in game synopsis: "Ever done a radio mission and pondered what the devs were thinking when they named the boss? Should these guys be out on the streets? Ms. Manners doesn't think so and she needs your help to round up the worst of the worst starting with a boss named Manhandle. It only goes down hill from there."
Keywords - Humor
I can see how it would be difficult for you to tell what the arc might be about.
WN
Check out one of my most recent arcs:
457506 - A Very Special Episode - An abandoned TV, a missing kid's TV show host and more
416951 - The Ms. Manners Task Force - More wacky villains, Wannabes. things in poor taste
or one of my other arcs including two 2010 Player's Choice Winners and an2009 Official AE Awards Nominee for Best Original Story