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cranebump

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Posts posted by cranebump

    TerroirNoir's "Cable Channel of AE!" Reviews. Part 2.

    in Mission Architect

    Posted

    Added Lady M's bio. Here it is, for what it's worth:

    Spoiler

     Lady MacDeath. Paramour of many, the last of which was Gunbone, of the Skull Terror of the 1990s. The terror ended when she took his life and took his place. Thus began The Nightmare Year, during which many rogues and villains died as the Red Lady ascended. Too much, too soon, of course. She was killed and eaten by Leech Lizard's personal bodyguard, the assassin, Adder Mortis, in 2001. All of this was in her alternate dimension, of course. Her fully formed self was deposited here months ago during the Mobius incident, where she took up with Gunbone once again, and began preparing for another Nightmare, this one, permanent.

     

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    Crane's Short Reviews

    in Mission Architect

    Posted · Edited by cranebump

    Give Me Liberty [ID: 69444] by   @Darmian

     

    So the guy takes, like, 50 years off, the comes back and writes another masterpiece. Do we hate Darm? Yes. Yes, we do (pst…we don’t…we’re just envious, and slightly in awe).

     

    This L33  has you working for a humorous lich (yes, you read that correctly) seeking out his lost (and somewhat crae-crae) master. It’s a typical Darmian arc in that it’s masterfully crafted, perfectly clean, well-written, detailed, and well-balanced. Really CLEVER use of clues that allows teams to get the details they normally miss. Plus, you get your CoT fix (assuming you needed a fix), some interesting customs (with a boss that can whammy you, if you ain’t careful), and a great, arcane story. Worth a play (as all Darm’s arcs are). We ran with a gun-toting blaster and had a…well, a BLAST.

     

    Verdict: 5/5, with a not-as-lich-gloomy-as-you-might-expect Seal of Approval. Enjoy the romp! PLAY IF: Just play it. (unless you have something against ancient Egypt?).

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    AE Arc 69444 "Give Me Liberty".

    in Mission Architect

    Posted

    Of course I ran the damn thing, you fiend.:-) 

     

    Really strong arc. Nice details (as usual). CLEVER use of clues to address teams. And the contact is one of your best. Extra points for Princess Bride ref.:-) I did find this ONE thing.

    Spoiler

    M1, clue...(wait for it)...

     

    Carriage return.:-)

     

    Some objective notes:

    And don't know if this is a thing, but all the (middle) objectives for M3 were located in the back room, including El Archmage-o.

     

    On M4, Gate Focus appeared in font, though it's listed as (middle). Map is pretty straightforward, so it's not hard to find, though.

     

    GREAT final mish. Excellent use of the map. Another winner, hombre!

     

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    Crane's Short Reviews

    in Mission Architect

    Posted · Edited by cranebump

    Messenger of Death [ID: 4093] by @Corlagon

     

    This L1-54 arc from 2019 has you “putting a new vigilante in her place.” Sounds like a job for Solumbra (or someone…a lot of someones, considering that level range).:-) So, off we go.

     

    First off, Arachnos has appeared in Galaxy City! Or they’ve never left it after the Shivving stopped. We’ll see. (FYI: The contact is one of my favs, Kiros Nandelu. Unfortunately, his image has been replaced by the insidious (and shepchanging?) Mek Man, probably due to updates and such. No worries. A Kiros by any other name, and I’m still a Fandelu).We get some help from a cat-tailed Messenger (is THIS the Viggy?). By the end of the mish, we find out that, “Yep – it IS the Viggy! And she’s been running around KILLING the bad guys!” (GASP! Well, I nev-...okay maybe I have. I don’t know where they go after I’ve set them on fire). 

     

    Of course, we find out that The Messenger is not who she appears to be. Or rather, she’s EXACTLY who/what she appears to be. I mean, she didn’t really lie about anything. Not that I know…I trust people (sigh) In any case, we follow the trail smack into the middle of assorted cultists and their machinations (or maybe “spellinations?”). There’s a LOT to do in the finale mission, but you have some help. If you want it. And it can keep up with you, when you forget you have sprint on and are running everywhere, leaving them behind like a douche bag (ahem…now who would do that?).

     

    Competently executed. Writing is clean and clear (though there’s some awkward syntax from time to time [“I’ve got to hand something to you!” {Ooh! Really? What is it?...Hey…where’s my SOMETHING, you bastard!..Ah! A punch to the chops. THAT something. Okey doke…”). Custom allies have VERY nice (sometimes interlinked) bios. Some stock vills, with a custom cult, and some bosses that could be trouble on higher settings/larger team sizes. A breeze on default with an incarnate (erm…yeah, that was me – taking no chances in the AE grinder today). Excellent placement of finale objectives (most every required thing in one place–bravo [I’d shorten the timers on the multiple glowies, though–they’re about 2 secs too long).:-)   

     

    Verdict: Worth a play. Would recommend bumping level or team size if you’re playing one of your badasses through it. Reads like a an in-game arc. Has Kiros, so +2 Million gratitude points (Crane loves those lowbie contacts). An arcane Seal of Approval. No whammies!:-)

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    TerroirNoir's "Cable Channel of AE!" Reviews. Part 2.

    in Mission Architect

    Posted

    So, soulless minions of orthodoxy...

    Spoiler

    SEARCH RETURN (for brevity): In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9), the "Soulless Minions of Orthodoxy" are not a real, external group but are a fictional construct within the mind of the character Dr. Giger. Giger, who suffered from extreme cellular ennui, imagined these entities as the forces representing the rigid, unthinking scientific establishment and the scientific community that had previously ridiculed his radical research.

     

    Giger created a machine to keep all his cells "entertained," so that he could live forever (iirc). He appeared in the humorous episode In the Cards. 

     

    I'm a bit of a (HUGE) DS9 fan, though the only other ref I can think of in my arcs was Willie Sullivan mentioning Captain Sisko way back in the Ordinary People arc.

     

    FYI: Almost every one of my later arcs has linked mish titles, either thematically, or from the same source (same writer, poem, whatever). The titles in this arc are all from self-help books (Malcolm Gladwell's Blink, Daniel Pink's Drive, Simon Sinek's Start With Why, and so on). I haven't actually read any of them, but my theme was "self-improvement through super gas" [yes, I'm stretching here, ain't I?]):-)

     

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    What would be the most annoying thing to find in an AE mission?

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by cranebump

    1 hour ago, Xalon said:

    But can anyone recommend a mission or two on AE that gives the most robust experience possible for an AE mission? 

    Go to the AE part of the boards. There are reviews and recs there.

     

    The Devs DO have better tools. But I’d put some of the writing and arcs in AE up there with anything they’ve done (and a lot of the AE stuff is at least on par with the legacy arcs from ye olde days). Further, they’re doing it without all the fancy widgets, which is pretty impressive (more so, if you’ve ever tried designing anything yourself — then you truly know how hard that can be).

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    Crane's Short Reviews

    in Mission Architect

    Posted · Edited by cranebump

    The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of (ID: 36175) by @FourthSuvivor

    One of a host of adventures by this author, this 2024 arc of varying levels (from 20 to 50) places you in the role of art thief. It's marked as Easy, and noted as stealth friendly. So of course we're gonna go in with a big, fat tank whose appearance shouts, Come get me, pard! The fun starts AFTER the theft, as a subtle creepiness surrounding what you pilfered lingers. Like maybe it's not what it seems. (which, of course, it's not, as this arc is an homage to a certain cinematic masterpiece).

     

    The rundown: Nice writing (beware the ocelot, if that's not your thing). Well-crafted. Nice use of objects as cosmetics. Stock enemies (in sometimes mixed groups) with some customs. NOTE: Clues will appear in your System text, rather than as popups. You'll want to have them in a prominent, easy-to-read place (I have a separate window for these things--and be prepared to scroll a bit). Non-traditional contact text -- you're basically IN the (for lack of a better word) novel. Nice tussle with an end boss (but not difficult with AVs turned off). Couple of maps where you have to "Find Exit" (not everyone's cup of tea, but it's not like you're striding out of an empty map, if you know what I mean). 

     

    Verdict: Solid, though not spectacular. No time wasters. You really CAN stealth most of it. I have some questions about why certain factions are working together (since they're not reskinned, one wonders what these disparate foes are up to).  Writing is good. Arc is clearly meant to showcase a mood. A Paint-Flecked Seal of Approval. PLAY IF: You're feeling villainous, or looking to try out your thief character. OR: You like a nice diversion with some good writing. DON'T PLAY IF: You'd rather not be written in as a character in someone else's story (re: ocelot rule thingy).

     

    Angry Druids & Crazy Sorcerers (ID: 39235) by @Star-Strider

    A L20-30 arc from 2021 (with Magic and Challenging tags), this arc has you recruited by the aforementioned Angry Druid leader, Nalia Dayglow, who's looking to boot some construction grunts out of their territory. What follows is a mix of DnD fare, folded around some traditional heroing. The angry druids indeed show up (accompanied by some DnD-inspired customs). You end up switching sides (basically), due to their...well, rage. 

     

    The rundown: Variety of maps, including an interesting use of Eden landscape (in which your objectives can be somewhat, uh, camouflaged).A...unique (I guess I'd say?) use of clue text in the form of (mostly humorous) text message exchanges, in which the texters recap events. It's actually a clever way of summarizing the mish, but I've obviously stepped into someone else's personal story (I...think...one of them appears to be me [though my name is now...Elise?).*  This has occurred because I evidently have Dnd enabled on my "phone.":-) 

     

    Verdict: Feels like it was written for someone's specific character (or characters, as indicated by the End Clue text strings). Doesn't really hurt the story, but it's clearly not a "I have stumbled into X" arc. Homage to DnD. Mostly humorous, but some dark shit happens prior to the finale. A doozy of an ambush there, btw. Overall, it's well told.  PLAY IF: You're a fan of magical tales (especially "Druids"). DON'T PLAY IF: You don't like what Druids bring to the table (namely storm/electricity [pack some blues, if END is an issue for you). A stormy Seal of Approval (with the caveat that this clearly isn't your character's tale). (NOTE: If you ignore the text strings, it will play like it's yours, though).

     

    *I am most definitely Elise. I evidently accepted an offer of burgers from my text mate.:-)

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    Variations in a custom group. There has to be an easier way.

    in Mission Architect

    Posted

    Bear in mind that you need only customize one group’s features, then change the save file when you advance them to the next tier. For example, I make 6 minion thugs, I can always open the files for them, click “Lieutenant” (it will add additional powers by itself, in most cases), then save the LT as “Thug1LT” or something like that. Since it’s just a more powerful interaction of the same dude, there’s no need to customize it further I’d you don’t want to. Beyond that I would offer that the minutiae is kind of the point, when you’re customizing. For good and I’ll.

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    Stationary Patrols

    in Mission Architect

    Posted

    You can keep a group stationary by creating a non-objective friendly boss and surrounding them with minions. They'll stay in place and not attack anything, unless they happen to end up near an enemy group or something. 

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    Crane's Short Reviews

    in Mission Architect

    Posted

    It's a great arc! And no cakewalk when I ran it at 0/x4 version. I think x8 woulda floored me, considering the minion synergies. I just can't believe after all this time playing I didn't know about using insps to bypass the push-push. Learn somethin' new every day.:-)

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