I'm AE-curious...

My first half-dozen AE experiences (at the height of the "new shiny"/Farm-mania phase) were unmitigated disasters.

I've yet to set foot back in the AE buildings.

But I'm really, really curious and dying to experience some of the better offerings in there.

Problem is, (a) I don't really know where to start looking for the best stuff, and (b) I don't know how to effectively form a non-farm AE team.

I form & run regular mish teams every time I'm on, so don't really need help on that aspect.

But does anyone wanna provide some tips for forming a non-farm AE team, finding a fun arc, and having a great time playing thru it?

I'm worried that the somewhat-disasterous launch phase has soured so many players on the AE (as it did me), I won't be able to find willing participants, and if I did, wouldn't be able to lead them through a worthwhile arc.

You said it yourself. When you form your team, just say:

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobertoLyon forming a non-farm AE team, finding a fun arc, and having a great time playing thru it

I'd join

As to finding a good arc or two...

• I'd check the Mission Architect forums where, presumably, folks are a little more interested in creating good stories. This will also give you a starting point for your search in game, search by author.
• In game, on the AE mission list, use the keyword function.... toss in fun keywords, and see what pops up. I did this, and found a silly little mission where all the enemies were spoof-named after familiar fast food items & entities. It wasn't some grand arc, but it was fun.
• Take the time to read the descriptions; level range, custom critters, easy or difficult, ticket farm.... all those little details will give you an idea of what you're in for.
• Solo a few mishes. You don't have to go all the way through them, just enough to get a good feel for them. IIRC, there is a way to "favorite" the ones you like (someone can correct me if I'm wrong on that). That way, you'll have a list ready for your teams.

Techniques I use for finding good arcs:
1) Avoid anything that hasn't been rated at least 20 times. I usually go for 4-star arcs rather than 5-star arcs, since most 5-star arcs haven't been rated very often.
2) Use the Mission Architect tags when searching. Someone who cares enough to put the tags in their description is likely to have done a good job with the arc.
3) Avoid anything with a "defeat all" mission objective.
4) If I find an arc I like, I'll search for other arcs by that same author.
5) Use the advanced search options. The most important option (arc morality) is hidden in the advanced section.

Try my mission, it's awesome!

Okay, seriously. I've always had really good luck finding fun AE arcs, but to some extent I guess it depends on what you consider fun. I'm looking for stories which are going to be fun to read. The Dev Choice arcs aren't a bad place to start, if you haven't tried them already. When trying new arcs, I tend to search for four star rather than five star, and choose the ones where the text on the search screen is well-written. At least four or five reviews is a good sign, and more gives a better average for the score, but I don't refuse something with an interesting title or well-written description just because it hasn't had many (or any) play yet.

Also, I don't hesitate to drop an arc if the initial contact text is badly written, or if custom mobs turn out to be stupidly difficult, or if the first map is a kill-all the size of Texas. There's no penalty to just picking a new arc and starting again, and there's no point slogging through a poor mission when there are thousands more great ones just waiting to be played.

If you're putting teams together to AE, then you could also try asking the other people in the team if they have any recs. I keep a spreadsheet with all the arcs I play, and brief notes about them.

I bookmarked the 2009 AE Player Choice Awards, and I keep meaning to get together a team and run them.

As for defeat all missions, it's not a question of how many foes you have to defeat. It's a question of how long it takes to find the last phase-shifted spectral ghost hiding behind a ramp. I have wasted too much of my life running around almost empty maps trying to find that last stupid mob to willingly subject myself to that torture again. You can't drop an AE mission.

Rumor has it that some upcoming QoL feature will ease the pain. I hope it applies to AE missions as well as regular missions.

I'd suggest searching for keywords that would interest you, factions you enjoy, players you know and like, that sort of thing. It reduces your chances of getting farms.

Also, as someone else mentioned, hit the MA sections on the forums - you'll find there are actually several folks who run together as teams to check out various and sundry arcs in the MA.

And last but not least, you might find some nifty ones that spark your interest in posters' signatures here on the forums. A lot of folks advertise their arcs in their sigs (I do it too), so if you see a title that looks interesting, jot down the number and title and take a gander at it.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

I"ve had some excellent experiences in AE. Start with the Developer's Choice, and the Award Winners.

Clave Dark's "Premium Quality" mission is a lot of fun.

You could use all of the above tips to find yourself a great AE-PUG team, and then you find some good missions. To help you with the second part; I'd recommend "In The Darkness Creeping" (see signature). Yes, glorious self-promotion at it's best!

Thanks to everyone who Replied - I'm already feeling better about dipping my toe in there, based on the friendly advice given here.

Impish Kat's suggestion: "Solo a few mishes. You don't have to go all the way through them, just enough to get a good feel for them. IIRC, there is a way to "favorite" the ones you like (someone can correct me if I'm wrong on that). That way, you'll have a list ready for your teams)" is most likely how I'll start out.

Thanks again!

While we're self-promoting: "Big Ideas", by @Amazing Amazon, is good for the mid-20's villain blues.