Darmian

Oh nice! Thanks!

You forgot the sarcasm emote.

A lot of fun in this one. Check it out!

Congrats to both! I've played both of these. Go play them people, spread the love!

Now if this could be worked into an "Ocean's Eleven" style of thing then I'd definitely want to have a look at it at the very least. Adapting the SBB for instance to cater for such a design? Then again adding SBB style mechanics to AE will do that for us, no? (as per the above suggestions, and they seem considered, and you'll know from other posts of mine that while I don't believe CoX is set in stone and sacrosanct as is, it is not, never has been, and frankly shouldn't be, a game that encourages factions or PVP beyond that already there.)

I've started and stopped writing an answer several times. So here's the end result. You've just described a game I for one don't want to play and would never want to play. And don't take it personally but I am really sure that the majority of the ideas expressed would not make this a better game.

Can we have NPCs that (allowing for the stealth thing) keep up with a player? I had a lovely complaint/comment from a player that they found shepherding NPCs that can't keep up annoying. Welp, if I could MAKE them keep up I damn well would, but I can't. And obviously this is a game-wide thing, not just an AE thing. Still, can't please everyone.

Ok, the COH community on here is just great. You know when you've had one of THOSE days, and then you come home and log on to find this waiting for you. Cheered me up no end! (But I still want to see what the Homecoming team do!)

This is probably impossible because of coding and so on BUT...never mind even adding more stuff for the moment (which I absolutely do want) but imagine being able to pick an outdoor map and then tag an entrance ON that map, be it door/cave entrance/whatever and then choose a second map to instance off of that? Portal Corp AE missions would take on another life then! Just instance another "world" from the portal...apart from that one map where you enter via the portal obviously.

The Atlas Park map from one of the Positron TFs. Where you face your evil doubles. It's got an interior space, always nice, and more to the point it's the current day version of Atlas rather than the historic one.

Red Widow as a contact. Or better still the ability to build a custom Widow or Soldier as an NPC. And the ability to build the 1960s Arachnos!

I'll get on this as soon as I can! Keep up the good work!

I think we're actually agreeing from different ends of the pitch! However, when I say non-canon AE I'm thinking of meta stuff that plays with the concept of the game as a game, with things that have literally nothing at all to do with CoX, I mean nothing, other than utilizing the tools/maps/powersets that the AE provides us. And there are a few of those, and they're well done. As for being tired of the same enemies? Up to a point I get that, absolutely I get that. But I'd maintain that much of that issue falls to depth of characterization and so on. (Apologies in advance to all who think I've derailed the topic!). Let me posit this to you: Suppose Recluse started behaving a bit more rationally? It was hinted that that was on the cards after Red Widow's return. Then the Rogue Isles becomes more like for instance Cuba crossed with Latveria. Arachnos assert more control over their own state and "seem" to tidy some of their affairs up, perhaps reclaiming Warburg and withdrawing from Siren's Call. The plots and schemes that even something as simple (!) as those things are could generate masses of missions and so on, for both sides. What the hell are they up to? UN demands Longbow pull put of Mercy Island due to the Rogue Isles ambassador being a "reasonable" individual presenting legal argument? Who knows? Is it all in time for the Glorious 60th Anniversary of the Rule of Recluse in 2024? And that's just Arachnos. And yes, new and different enemies are a must too. Totally. I'm just saying don't write off the existing guys just yet, they could surprise us!

This might be useful. Or it might not! Dark Deeds in Galaxy City: Part One. (Arc id 26756) Madame Maven of the Meteors asks for your help when two of her team go missing in the ruins of Galaxy City while investigating reported Arachnos sightings there. Dark Deeds in Galaxy City: Part Two. (Arc id 26952) Following the events of Part One, Ghost Widow recruits you to retrieve an item personal to her, while investigating what she says are rogue Arachnos. Dark Deeds in Galaxy City: Part Three. (Arc id 27233) Returning to Paragon from the Rogue Isles, you and the Meteors attempt to thwart the Arachnos faction operating there, but all is not what it seems. Darker Deeds: Part One (Arc id 28374) A surviving prisoner from the Arachnos faction will only speak to you. The Meteors once again ask for your aid, but things go terribly awry and the past comes back to haunt Paragon City. Darker Deeds: Part Two. (Arc id 28536) Following the events of Part One, a new contact approaches you for help, one that is not immediately trustworthy but needs must when friends' lives depend upon it. Darker Deeds: Part Three. (Arc id 29252) Pursuing a slim lead brings you again to the Rogue Isles, and into the depths of modern day Arachnos' machinations. And a terrible plan that even they fear. Darkest Before Dawn: Part One (Arc id 29891) You and the Meteors track the remnants of the Arachnos faction as they become more desperate and more dangerous, and discover you are not alone in this secret war. Darkest Before Dawn: Part Two (Arc id 30210) The faction's plan is put in motion and all of Paragon is in danger. With time running out what can you do except fight until your last? Darkest Before Dawn: Part Three (Arc id 20560) The birds are coming home to roost and old truths and secrets will out, while new secrets threaten the future in ways you had not imagined.

Well that's interesting. It kind of leaves well crafted non-canon missions out in the cold though, if I'm reading it right. I'm not sure how the Devs could say such and such an AE is canon if it has nothing to do with CoX or outright contradicts the Lore of CoX. Well, they COULD but they really shouldn't. There's enough loose ends in the actual game without adding more to that list. I'm not dismissing this out of hand, don't get me wrong, but if your checkbox is "must adhere to known Lore/incorporate known Lore etc" then there's a bunch of great AEs that will fall through that crack.

Ah, the character count! A bane to writers, especially since it counts formatting as characters! So be sure to only format AFTER you've got all your text in, that way you can go over the limit, kinda, Hope you enjoy it when you get back to it. As for how the two are related?

I must ask! If you've done Dark Deeds in Galaxy City: Part Two...how did the second mission go?

How about the ability to grant temp powers to players? Like the virtual rez you can already get it would only work in AE and be greyed out elsewhere. If this is mentioned elsewhere then consider it a bump.

At some point I'm tempted to post an AMA (spoiler tagged obviously) for the entire 45 episodes/missions.

Well I can't say it made a difference to me since I hadn't experienced it before you swapped it out but it was a damn good arc. Plus one of the best uses of the Striga bridge I've seen. I've used it and it is a [insert swearword of choice] to get things to spawn where you'd like without overpopulating the map. Kudos.

SERAPH map! AAGH. Trucks inside the damn building! Though Ankylosaur and cranebump are my two first stops these days for AE.

Delighted to hear that. Had immense fun writing them. And... cue advertising jingle... there's a third series as well. Darkest Before Dawn.

I like this a lot. However I do not have the patience to do it!!! Nor the slots to spare frankly.

Essentially what cranebump said. The end result is the end result, regardless of fail or win, but it's the HOW of it that you must engender in the players. So you succeed at A and B happens, or you fail at A and B happens but for different reasons and those reasons must make sense in the context of the mish you are doing. So yes, use a Deus Ex Machina but if you can hide that it is one that works better.

Well I'm going to buff my ego and suggest mine! It starts with the current (September 12 2020) Dev Choice option of Dark Deeds in Galaxy City: Part One (Arc id 26756) so full XP and drops on that for the month, and carries on through Part Two, (26952) and Part Three (27233). There's a natural break there but if you want to continue with the fallout from that and the people you met in it then on you go to Darker Deeds: Parts One to Three (Arc ids 28374, 28526 and 29252) and then culminating in "Season 3", Darkest Before Dawn: Parts One to Three (Arc ids 29891, 30210 and 30560). Now that might seem like a lot but you're only doing them in arcs of 5 so that breaks it up. If you're not looking at mine then I recommend cranebump (Try the Ordinary People arc and work from there, Arc ids 31902, 21902 and 25396), and ankylosaur's work (Robolution Arc id 25870 is the other (September 12 2020) Dev Choice for the month) as having storylines well worth following. There are many others too. Try looking for SFMA as a search option and this should throw up story based missions. (But these two are definite go tos for great story!) Happy hunting.