double size coming in GR

Ugh, only if they were skippable or had a short time limit like 15 seconds, and only once or twice for the entire story arc.

My largest group cannot entirely fit in the same arc, I had to divide the group into "Core" members and then the special ones who only can appear in boss details.

I also wanted to do some fun things like having named minions and LTs who you run into repeatedly, remembering you from last time and reacting in different ways but I simply lack the room since a detail takes up 0.5% before you even add the text.

I also love to cram missions with non-required objective to make it feel more fun an alive, whether it's patrols and boss details who chatter about things happening in the plot or optional glowies that are obviously not what you are looking for but give fun messages for people who do like to click everything. Missions are so boring when it's a bunch of people just standing around and waiting to be beaten up.

Then what was the point of getting a DC on it in the first place if you're going to give it up? It's not like the Devs are going to go "Oh, do you want a different arc DCed then?" The only times that DCs have been reinstated are when it had to be edited for some serious issue or somehow became invalidated.

I disagree with Venture in this case, but as in many cases I don't think most people are disagreeing with Venture head-on, but only tangentially.

My read is that Venture isn't saying its impossible to use the extra space to make better arcs. He's saying its more likely to promote lesser arcs than better ones. And he's saying that because of that, the system would be better off if it restricted size, because those authors that could have made good use of the extra space could also make good arcs with the restricted space. Suggesting counter-examples isn't contradicting Venture, because he's saying a) if you're good enough to pull off what you're saying, you're also good enough to pull off equally good arcs with less space, and b) if you're not good enough to pull off what you're saying, the mission architect is better off not allowing you to try.

I think that presumes that the purpose of the MA is to be, essentially, a teaching tool and *that* is the part I disagree with. I believe "bad" (ignoring the fact that equality is highly subjective to begin with) arcs are a necessary evil of the MA, because I believe its primary purpose is to allow players to express themselves as authors. If I can tell good stories with it, but I can't tell *my* stories, it fails as a tool for me. I'm not a professional architect author; my goal is not to tell the most commerically viable or most efficient stories, but *my* stories, period.

My point of disagreement with Venture here is not that anything he says about the net consequence of increasing file size is necessarily wrong (although I don't think its entirely correct either), but rather that its besides the point of the purpose of the MA. I think the distinction is best put this way: if there is an architect mission I want to make that requires 200k, Venture says its better to sacrifice that mission for the greater good of forcing authors to be more directed towards better mission design. I say its better to allow that mission for the greater good of making a system that is as inclusive of expression as possible, even if it means it might include lower quality missions.

However, I should point out that neither choice is free of problematic situations.

Shorter arcs do not automatically equate to better mission design. Neither do arcs free of custom factions. Compelling stories are going to be compelling stories no matter if they are told in 3 missions or 5 missions or 8 missions. The current system is restrictive in the aspect that those compelling 8 mission stories are never going to be told.

Simultaneously, yes, there are a sea of bad custom factions out there. There are over 340,000 arcs out there. By virtue of numbers alone, this means there are a sea of flat-out bad arcs out there, whether they have custom factions or not.

I don't see what advantage keeping the good authors from telling more intricate, more attractive and more compelling good stories could possibly offer. So that the crappy that you don't want to play anyway will be shorter and less intricate?

That's the quote that interests me the most, since it's the quote that runs most directly counter to my own experiences in MA. I've personally found the simple variety offered by the custom enemies I've faced alone makes them more interesting then standard enemies.

I've also found the best designed enemies tend to rival (and sometimes surpass) anything the game cannon enemies offers in terms of fun. Ergo, the idea of having more customs per mission is something that interests me personally.

Which makes it all the more grating when Venture us of "we" to express his own opinion all the more nerve grating.

Since he's so often using tv tropes for the basis of his reviews/ opinions, I'll steal a Mark Twain quote from the "I am Legion" page to sum up my annoyance.

"Only kings, presidents, editors, and people with tapeworms have the right to use the editorial 'we'. "

Because everything is better with a Mark Twain quote. (Although I'd be interested in hearing his definition of what makes a mob 'fun' to fight, and why he thinks MA mobs haven't been able to exceed the standard game's mobs in terms of 'fun' or 'interest.')

J/ Wilde

I wonder if they can borrow Guild Wars' cutscene maker tool. The way it inserts your character and others in your party is seamless. It would be so cool seeing your toons animated that way. Plus maybe voiceover, if we want to really dream.

The two games are both NCSoft and GW already did cross-promoting w/ Aion when they gave out wings as emotes. It should be in the realm of possibility.

Sturgeon's law.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturgeon%27s_Law

This is absolutely on the mark. More space won't magically make a bad arc good, but it could help a good arc become great. Conversely, any arcs that are made worse based on changes made because of the author having more space probably weren't very good to begin with.

If you talk to Dr. Aeon about the specific changes you want to make, chances are he will let you edit it and then re-DC it. He's cool like that. I've had to edit both of my DCs for bugs. Basically, the system in place is there to keep you from you altering the story fundamentally. If all you're doing is making some tweaks, he should be cool with it as long as he knows exactly what you're planning to do beforehand. I just wouldn't go overboard and ask to edit it all the time