cranebump

Ahhhh...I had no idea.

A whip set with a “swap ammo” effect, allowing me to switch between damage types. A swingline travel power. Varied animation on the hurl power. I want to throw generators, forklifts and couches, like the TK trollers.:-)

He won’t after he surrenders will he?

I’ve had Veles kick my ass before. But I can’t recall ever failing the timed rescue. Might be an issue if you’re still being chased by Veles’s Grave Knight (which I believe doesn’t die because Veles surrenders before he falls).

Greets, all. In hopes of raising the story-based AE profile, I’ll be providing some short reviews of SFMA story arcs. In keeping with my old Under the Radar Reviews, I’ll be zooming in on new work (in most cases, that means “new for me”).:-) My criteria basically hinges on 2 things: *Is it fun? *Is it technically/narratively well-executed? I’ll follow that up with the usual Play this if… recommendations. I won’t be providing a blow-by-blow report, replete with pics and such (I seem to have gone over my limit on that?) And I certainly won’t be doing anything like the in-depth critiques I sometimes do for certain arcs. Rather, I’m shooting for a broad spectrum of what’s out there (outside the Dev’s Choice selections, which you’re going to see anyway, and farms, which are a different thing altogether). Things I really dig will receive various versions of the coveted Cranebump’s Seal of Approval (redeemable practically nowhere). Before I begin, I’ll take a moment to hype the usual juggernauts, namely @Ankylosaur, @Darmian. The Dev’s Choice selections speak for themselves. Beyond that, I can heartily recommend (from experience running their stuff) @Clave Dark 5, @Take One, and @LordRassilon. You can find some specific mish critiques I’ve done (on and off) over the years here: https://forums.homecomingservers.com/topic/39283-under-the-radar-reviews-dec-22-edition/#comment-524234 https://forums.homecomingservers.com/topic/37778-under-the-radar-reviews-sep-22-arc-1481-the-tannhauser-gate/#comment-501120 https://forums.homecomingservers.com/topic/37292-under-the-radar-reviews-vol-2-1-florida-man-and-sandals/#comment-494590 https://forums.homecomingservers.com/topic/24016-under-the-radar-reviews-2-the-lazarus-project-by-coulomb/#comment-290846 Now – on to the other stuff! I’ll start with a couple of recently completed arcs, beginning with: The Pariahs: Magus Gray (ID: 58682) (Author sig: @Star-Strider2; Board sig: @Seed22) This is a Croatoa arc where the author cleverly features most of the usual suspects from our magic zone. Along with some NOTABLE cameos (by that, I mean certain bad guys that make a brutha say, “Oh….he’s there…”). The arc focuses on the titular character, a member of the murdered Winter Court, as he attempts to find out who done the deed. It’s clean, clear, well-executed and well-written, and has a nice surprise at the end. Highly recommended! (see the Crane Seal of Approval there? Of course you do). PLAY THIS IF: You want a mysterious, magic-focused arc, infused with Croatoan baddies. Love and Robots (ID: 58834) (Author sig: @Wonder Knight; Board sig: @d4everman) The intro text reads: Queen Cyborg has been turning ordinary citizens into her robotic slaves. Now she's seeking the scientist that created her. But is she seeking his knowledge to transform more people into cyborgs or something more unsettling. That sounds creepy. But then you hop in the mish, and you get face-punched with some silver age goodness in tone and tenor (ably represented by the contact CAPTAIN EAGLE!). You’ve got a boss who thinks you’re a flyspeck (YOU! Can you believe it? [I can...(sigh)], and custom minions who accentuate the effect as they chatter about their superiority (even as you send them to the mat. Lots of fun. Reminds me of the comics I first read way back in…er…a LONG TIME AGO! (one of them’s civvie ID is Dwayne Dibley – that’s a name ol’ Stan would be proud of). Arc includes some excellent design using the bank map, great NPCs (with intertwining relationships and motivations that shape the plot, brisk pace (thanks to well-placed objectives), and a cool themed minion group. Plus, it’s got bots. And guns…Crane sorta likes Bots and guns…ahem. Verdict: VERY well done. Add a sterling seal, to go with Kyksie’s recommendation (which has to be worth…well, something, right?).:-) PLAY THIS IF: You enjoy some silver aged bombascity (but not overdone), coupled with a twisty relationship-based narrative throughline Cat: It’s What’s for Dinner (ID: 53231) (Board and author sig: @Kyksie) Two words. Freedom Furlanx. And that’s all I’ll say. (no, it’s not – you know me too well, don’t you?) You want some comedy? It’s here, my friend. We always say, Don’t take Kyksie too seriously. This trek through an alternative universe of freaky feline Falanx members proves it (it also confirms the disappointing fact that schlongbow is everywhere {evvvvverywherrrrre}). A humor-filled romp, and a fur-lined Crane seal (strokable currency, while you contemplate conquering the cat-iverse. (On a serious note: Beyond the constant humor, really novel use of: “choice” in the finale; nav text in all the missions. [and no time wasters.]):-) PLAY THIS IF: You want high comedy and, well, cats (kitties, to be more precise?) Bassilisk (ID: 51947) (Board and author sig: @TwoDee) We began with the usual threat to Audiophiles everywhere…Okay maybe it’s not the "usual" threat, but our Psi-Cop contact with the fancy officer's hat wants us to look in on it. Starts with a quick hit in Mish 1 and proceeds through a Kurse cameo (!!), a map full of armed and angry ravers, and your usual (and not so usual among the bosses) Rikti bastards. Eventually, you discover a fiendish plot involving everyone's unfavorite gene-manipulating aliens and...well, you can find out for yourself. Arc is excellently scripted, mechanically sound (even with a near-plethora of collections in an early mish), and will eventually let you use all your toys (after a brief level-down in the early going). The author provides concise recaps at the end of each mish, allowing quick and easy tracking of the narrative throughout. NOTE: Hold onto your butts, if you’re weak to psychic/sonic, etc! The early play could get dicey. Later play, too, if you've tuned this one up and not tanking it. If not, be ready to (perhaps) gobble up those insps and stick with it. In the end, you’ll be treated to a great arc! A silvery Seal of Approval for this very nice one-shot! PLAY THIS IF: (1) You don’t mind being levelled down for the opening salvos; (2) you really want to beat up ravers, (3) you like puns:-); (4) you don't feel the word bugnuts is used near enough; and -- most importantly -- (4) you demand well-crafted, tightly-constructed, cleanly and interestingly scripted arcs (because this one surely is). [Plus, how many stories start in a record shop? I'll say...2 and a half! {maybe}] Worth a run, folks! So, there's our opening salvo. We'll try to treated you to a passel of these in small parcels over time. Support your AE authors! It's not just for farming, folks. In the meantime, WATCH THIS SPACE. Visualize Whirled Peas, Crane

You ain’t kiddin’. ‘Cept I keep making new ones.

Don't think so, kemosabe. But some of the other folks might know better than me. I sure haven't seen it. Even NPCs with flight capability aren't always flying. Some patrols with flight movement will use it to travel up levels. But fighting in the air? Not that I've ever seen. (of course, I've never been looking for it).:-)

My stronger toons are all in an Excelsior SG made up of my alts. As I've shifted more to soloing over the last year (and trying to catch story arc teams where I can), I've found myself on Torch a LOT more than Excel (to where I'd consider it my "home" shard now). With Excel often in the red, and me no longer in need of hurrying along as much (nor wanting to wait at all to enter the fray), I've been seriously thinking of moving my entire stable to Torch and living there more or less permanently (I'll always switch shards to help a buddy, though -- or a stranger).:-)

On the first part: that's exactly what people should do. Kudos to you (and others) for doing that. (and I feel like lots of people do) On the second part: I don't see fast players lambasting anyone else, either. I don't think it's that they're necessarily "nicer" than non-speeders. Rather, I think slowpokes don't matter to a speed demon, because it's about gittin' 'r done ASAP. If that's the team's stated objective, more power to 'em. If the expectation is otherwise, then it looks like the speeder could give a sh*t about everyone else (whether they're actually thinking that or not). But, really, you nailed it. Advertise. And if someone DOES advertise a style, and I hop in on it, I really should do my best to support that style of play (for a speed team, that may mean some stealth and those handy team TPs and such). Reminds me: I've run on some, kind of, "hybrid" teams, where the leader will say, "Solo if you think you can handle. But please don't enter the mission until the leader zones." (I think that's how Blapperella does it on the old school runs, like Sister Pysche). If I ever got off my ass and started more actively leading teams again, that would be an approach I would probably use. I also wish I would see (or start, damn me) more smaller teams, as @Krimson suggested. A "star" team of 5, for instance. Long story short: advertise what you're doing. If you don't, then don't complain about what you get. The old days of the automatic expectation of tanks herding to a pummel spot are pretty much gone (in open play, at least). That said...my squishy still follows the tank. I need SOMEONE to blame for my stupidity, after all.:-)

That was exactly the one I was thinking of, @Clave Dark 5. It's really something unique.

+1 million :-)

With a LOT of emphasis on vigilante/rogue stuff. I'm thinking adding new stuff at 20+ actually makes sense, considering the pace of levelling these days. You can fly right through the early levels without touching any of the story contacts and end up at 20 in a heartbeat, making this the de facto starting point for segueing into story-oriented stuff. Which is why I doubt we'll ever see any work done on stuff below that, since you can Habashy-Costel/Fields-Thiery yourself right out of Atlas Park in a heartbeart. Even some of the very excellent lower level stuff (like Laura Lockhart) bleeds into the 20s, so there's no incentive to hit the truly lowbie stuff, unless you're learning the game, or are a completionist. Or you like meandering through contacts, then tracing your character's history through the experience (which I do, with some characters). This is why, though I'd LOVE some new work done in AP/KR/STEEL, etc. the fact is they're being mostly skipped anyway, for various reasons. It's not a good use of HC's resources at present. (imho) . That said, I would love new blueside content.

I agree with the OP, but I believe their answer to why they join teams then run off is going to be related to maximizing rewards gain in the shortest time span, and they figure this is a faster way to do it. Or perhaps it IS just chest thumping. Hard to say, because there are often advocates of that style of play. I suspect we’ll likely hear from one in 3,2…

It's great work, kemosabe. I'll feature it in my next batch of short reviews. Check your typos! In particular:

Watt the hell is going on here?

Mine may as well be off, most times. I run a lot on my laptop, and there are certain things I cannot easily hear at low volume. Like glowies. I end up slipping on the headphones for those sometimes. On the whole, the game sounds don't really bother me. But those REALLY BRIGHT custom effects? Another story...

Hmmm...maybe I misinterpreted their intent, then. Yeah, I think what you've got there is a good solution for avoiding the body bag situation. What kind of mess you want to put up with certainly sums up the AE design choices.:-)

@Defeat All Snakes’s suggestion, above would achieve the effect for sure. But the OP was originally asking about having the “dead” NPC as an objective. Having the actual body would be preferable, but would require a bit more work to simulate the effect. However, nearby glowie drawing an ambush is going to activate the “dead” bod when the bad guys roll in. could avoid this with an Enemy boss spawn back up the path, with boss text indicating “you’re under arrest” etc. This would draw the player(s) away from the dead NPC. On the whole, though, In this case, you can either take a 1 step, unpretty approach (body bag spawns ambush), or the much more artful, 3 step approach (unclickable body, nearby glowie, boss group). Depends on how important it is to you to have the actual body. Also: in lieu of a body bag, you could instead use an object, say a piece of machinery, and say the body is stuffed there. Then give it a gruesome description or something. Sometimes what can be imagined is stronger than what we can see.

If you’re just coming back, and Emp was your original jam, I’d just play that. It’ll let you ease back in in a comfortable manner.

I think we can assume it’s the Atlas in the game.:-) I always figured he was a SS/Inv tanker. With the aforementioned map and nav skills.:-)

There's an "Unconscious" selection, though I can't recall if it is available under all NPC objectives (allies, rescues, etc.). That said, I don't think you can have them as an objective where the body stays put (I imagine the NPC will get up, then fall back down when you leave them). You can use "Dead Slab" to have an NPC fall over to the ground on a rescue, but they won't stay there, to the best of my knowledge. On the whole, I think you're okay with the body bag (though it's not visually optimal), since players will note the bad news from the visual clue.

Okay, here we go: Long story short for the no spoilers crew: this has Crane's unmitigated seal of approval (if that means anything...I mean, it's not a Honus Wagner baseball card, but I WILL provide gum). Well done, @Seed22!

Not sure when I’ll get to it, but do have an idea. Just need to mull it a bit more.

Oh, man...now I'm glad I got through it when I did.:-) Just to be clear about my intent on that comment: I was not running on max settings. I thought I was more at fault than anything on the design front. But those maps feel sparse anyway, don't they? Should make for a hell of a run now.

I cannot believe you dragged yourself out of your sick bed and into the breach this week, hombre. Tip of the 10-gallon hat!