cranebump

It's entirely subjective, but I'd go mainly with: an interesting story and characters, well-edited, designed and constructed with care. That said, I find myself admiring all sorts of arcs for different reasons.

Trying to find time and inspiration will be my biggest goal.:-)

The Bounce House (ID: 65600) L21-26 The enigmatic Agent Crimson calls upon on a "temporary asset" (you) to look into a glitzing surveillance system, pulling you into a desperate gamble involving a hand full of wild cards held close to the vest. Notes: Nothing fancy. Just a bit of espionage. Allusions/references are pretty obvious. Ran with a L29 AR/TA that's not kitted out. There are 2 potentially touch encounters, depending on how you approach them. I made one of them WAAAAAAY worse by going full auto and dragging a certain summoning boss into the fray, going from attacking the standard mob of 3, to, oh, 9 I think it was. Other than that, I'd say this is pretty easy, esp. if you're a non-squish. And maybe I found all the typos...maybe...:-) Happy New Year, Crane

Vahzilok. Organized serial killers.

Consideration of Knowledge [Arc ID: 65341] by @ZamuelNow This brilliantly-executed idea is a training arc for AE creators, in which you gain helpful hints and tips while you play through the arc. Zammie provides info through various means, including helpful read-throughs in the clickable enemy text. The main thing is, you experience the effects of said tips & tricks as you go. Again, brilliant. As for the deets,you can find the author's own presentation right here: Since Zam has explained this one already, there's no need for me to get into the particulars. Rather, I'll just grant a special, glimmering, holographic Seal of Approval for yet another idea I wish I'd thought of. Just a really cool way to learn about the oftentimes wonky engine of which so many have (like the author of this piece) have made such creative use (sheesh...is that even a sentence? I tried.).:-) PLAY IF: I'd play it just for the experience (even if you're a vet AE author). BUT: if you're thinking of stepping into the clay pit of mission authoring, this gem is a must. Very well done!

Considering you ran the first things I ever wrote, I'm happy they were playable at all.:-) As far as criticism goes, a thick skin and the ability to use anything actionable is worthwhile. I appreciate the "squishy" perspective, as I tend to run exemplared chars on my own and others' mishes. Nice to see how things would actually work in game.

Include yourself, as well, my friend.:-)

Allegedly Your Death (ID: 65297) by @First of Equals (boardsig: @sponazgul) This recent (Dec 5th of this year),* well-regarded arc casts you in the role of Batm-, errrrrr, a vigilante type hero who takes on threats like Puffin, and the Confounder. Thankfully, you have your faithful butler, Alfred Pen-, um…Browith Wingstringham to help you out as you unravel a nefarious, transdimensonal plot leading to...YOUR DEATH (I'm serious here [you'll see]). Since I am, indeed, running a toon named Devil Bat, whose bio reads, in part, Orphaned when his parents were slain in a senseless robbery, I feel, em, uniquely suited to the task.:-) No (more) spoilers here. Just know that it’s a humdinger of an arc that plays on the Chiroptera’s detective side while being firmly connected to our own City of Heroes (and to vigilante playboys everywhere). VERY enjoyable. A shining Seal of Approval floating in the passing clouds of the night sky, hovering like a crusading spectre over the gloom below. PLAY IF: You enjoy a fast-paced, well-written, tongue-in-cheek homage to dark knights and their faithful butlers (also play for a really great [and playful] poke at AE itself). Oh, and you should also play just to hear Manticore being called a chode (g**damn is THAT on point).:-) Worth your time, people! Suit up! *which just happens to be mine and Walt Disney’s birthday (and we know who, among the two of us, has made greater contributions to mankind, don't we? [frantically points to self, while vigorously shaking head in an imploring manner]).:-)

Whoever runs Saturday Night Synapse on Torch (the fact I can never remember the names surely must mean something).:-) @LordRassilon streams various CoH runs on his Twitch channel.

Writing what the character thinks or says. EX: Instead of "Accept the mission," the choice is "I'll be glad to do your bidding, my master." (okay, that's an extreme example, but, you get the idea).:-)

Many people say I taught them how to survive. They also say other people are incredibly dumb about slotting, and I'm very, very smart about it. They even say I invented it. I dunno, maybe it's true. I think it's true because, well... (thunder; lightning; a transformative flash) I AM THAT I AM! THOU SHALT BRING NO OTHER SLOTS BEFORE ME! ALSO (insert other stuff you're doing wrong)! THANK YOU! NOW GO FORTH IN ORTHODOXY!

It has a second name, but I cannot recall. M-A-Y something.

Haven’t done what the OP mentioned, but I could see myself running every variation of Archery on different toons (and putting them all in the same SG-Bowhaven).

I think it’s correctly pronounced, “Oh those f***ers again.”

Because saying Get off mah lawn! 10 different ways doesn't require 10,000 words to get your gist (each time). We usually pick up on it by reading the thread title.

I'd much rather have Statesman standing where Miss Liberty is, but I guess them's the breaks. That said, if I were to approach a way of returning him to the game, the depowered option would be the way I'd go. Make him a Longbow Coordinator or something. Maybe he's over there in the Isles, butting heads with Manticore and his Wyvern faction (and trying to redeem Recluse).

I did my own particular spin on Statesman at the end of the Mobius epic, so…NOT IT!:-)

I should be able to join, Z. Btw this is a GREAT idea.

It puts the lotion on its skin. Nearby lotion. Not that faraway, stupid lotion.

Some really good ideas there. Mish 4 does need some work (starting with making getaway vehicles optional, since that’s easy). My recent issue with fixing any of my older stories was crashing during edits (due to file size, I guess). Putting willie rescue active upon M4 entry is a good idea, though I’d have to tweak the confession and a couple other things. There IS a callback to Willies death in the capstone arc, so the downer ending is entirely intentional, and meant as motivation during the last arc of the story. Really good feedback. I am not sure when I’ll get around to employing any of it, but I’ve put a pin in it for future reference. Thanks again!

I played CoL a bit a long time ago, using the swing line power. It was weird to swing around with nothing to grapnel, but I just didn’t care. If my “natural” toon can run at a speed of 60 MPH (or more), then hooking to a cloud works, too. SWIIIINNNNNNG!

Still waiting for swingline.

I didn't mean that to sound like a negative. Probably should've said what it was: mainly stock vills with a few customs. Sorry about that.

You have boldly gone where no one has gone before, my friend. Thank you for everything you have done. The heroes of The Row are lucky to have Engineria as an ally (and perhaps the Night Ravens could use another strong mentor):-) Many, many thanks. We hope to see you around the city. Godspeed!

Thanks for the run. That’s the very first arc of the 50 I’ve written. Shoulda seen it before I tweaked it. It was rough. Very rough. Still looks like I could work on it, but at some point, you move on. Didn’t realize I was stealing Powers Division from Praetoria though. Sheesh. That’s what I get for not studying up on the lore.:-)