Veridian Awakening: #483637
Review: Viridian Awakening
Arc ID 457506
42 Fire/Inv Tank
No deaths
This is one of the few arcs that I felt deserved a 5 star rating. Not because of story but because the gameplay is extremely well done. You introduce something new and exciting with every mission. I like the progressive introduction of new enemies throughout the arc. Your objectives are always in the right place. The one main weakness of the arc is its story which I felt lacked character development and emotion.
Text: Color code Lyssa's text a different color then your player. I know you use the > sign to show that it is hers but this is way to subtle. You could also give your character and a Lyssa a chat name like you two are in chat room. ex
$Name: How did you find me?
Lyssa: that is not important right now.
Dark purple text is hard to read change this.
Story: You never seem to develop any sort of relationship with your contact and your contact lacks emotion and conflict. she doesn't seem to have any motivation for freedom. Your relationship is "Hey keep on paying me and I'll do stuff for you". By the end of the story arc you should have an idea of why she wants freedom. You mention first that she has a plan but it never develops as a plot point. The computer also becomes friends with you in the end but you decide to throw away the friendship for what arguably is no reason. Why have the player so detached from the contact and the contact so secretive about its goals? This single handled ruined the story for me and almost caused me to rate the arc down. Develop the story and characters more. This is your weakest link.
Enemies: Great use of progressive enemy design. Enemies were not hard and did not feel out of place. Your security guards especially feel well done. I hate seeing security guards throw fireballs or pick up large boulders and throw them at the player. Your last boss drains to much endurance.
Objectives: Great use of objectives. Some objectives in missions 3-4 seemed out of order but due to the limitations of AE this is understandable.
Locations: Lots of variety. Your maps seem to be to big at times. Mission 2 especially feels big. You could increase the amount of clues but I would just decrease the map size. Looking for 3 boxes in a large warehouse full of boxes is like looking for a piece of hay in a needle stack (yes, it is painful).
Overall, good work. Keep working on the story and this arc will truly shine. If you want to return the favor feel free to play and rate my arc. Post feedback here: http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=253977
Arc Name: Veridian Awakening
Arc ID: 483637
Faction: Neutral / Rogue
Creator Global: @Spirit
Difficulty Level: Medium Hard
Synopsis: Your computer screen suddenly goes black and a single blinking prompt appears. Words flash across the monitor as a mysterious woman named Lyssa makes contact. She needs help bringing the Veridian Corporation to its knees and is willing to pay well for your skills.
Estimated Time to Play: 5 Missions. 60-120 minutes total time.
Suggested Level: Any
Suggest Team Size: Any
What to expect: Serious non-cannon story set in Paragon city locations, almost every enemy is custom built and balanced, no elite bosses or arch villains.
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This arc focuses on the rogue side of life, a morality sorely lacking in missions compared to the others. I am looking for feedback before releasing it as final. I hope you enjoy it.
Thank you,
Tom / Gliber