cranebump

I don't normally spend much time shilling my stories, other than announcing when I have something new (or when I've tweaked or fixed one of my many flubs). But I thought I'd spend a moment here outlining how some of these arcs connect. I also thought I'd provide some info on the one-shots. You never know - someone else might get the AE bug, like our fabulous, famous, @TerroirNoir (aka TN). This also helps me organize everything a bit better, and prompts me to realize what a massive amount of time I've poured into this sh*t. I mean, really, Crane...get a life.:-) Since my main megatale isn't overtly linked by title (or any other indicator), we'll start there. I guess we'll call it the King's Row Epic, since it has its roots there. Sequentially, it runs like this: Ordinary People 1-3 (Standard Operating Procedure, Hope and Bullets, The Last Full Measure) Leviathan 1-5 (Hollow Pursuit, Hollow Ring, Hollow Victory, Origin, Mantle) Mobius 1-5 (Full Circle, Much Madness, The Sign of the Five, Dempsey's Hard 8, Auguries of Fate and Time) Fallout 1-3 (The Unlock, Puzzle Box, Reassembly) The first 3 arcs are the main story, while Fallout is just what it intimates - the aftermath of Mobius. Everything can be played self-contained, but a sequential run-through reveals the tie-in, all the way back to the first arc. You can also see I got better as things went along (well, hopefully I got better - you can judge for yourself). There's a wide variety of customs, some use of the usual suspects, and a significant callback in the finale (one might say, a fixing of an injustice). The other multi-part arcs are self-contained. Here's a list and some brief capsules: The Bleed 1-3 (Insecurity Measures, De Pulvis Rediit [From the Dust Returned], Wave, Landing) This was my attempt at a magic-themed arc, with IP as the backdrop. I was mainly trying to get out of my KR/Noir fixation, so I went with an origin I rarely play, and an underutilized zone (outside of Yin TF, which, these days, is the only reason for the zone to exist [or, um, Cita-hell, too, I suppose]).:-) Noble Mettle 1-2 (The Colossus of Rose, The Hollow Crown) Did I mention my KR/Noir fixation? Welllll...kinda went back to that a bit, mainly basing this in AP, and making use of Kiros Nandelu and his "bodyguard," the Ivory Leopard. It’s about global markets, Communist zealots, and world-changing technology (and parenthood, to an extent). The Cage Series 1-3 (Cage Match, Grudge Match, Match Point) Intended for vigilante characters, I delved into this after doing a wiki dive into Kirk Cage, which led me to the Iron Widow, which led me to Scrapyarder, and so on. It ends up being a meditation on the vigilante ethos. Black Chamber 1-2 (The Lid, The Drum): A lore-related arc wedged in between RWZ arcs where you meet Sefu Tendaji, and then he's dead. Part 2 resurrects Agent X (literally), and runs concurrently with Dark Watcher's The Horror of War. Not a great deal of custom toons, but several custom groups, made by recoloring and mixing/matching. It's a straight up villainous arc, where the bad guy gets entwined in a save the world sorta thing. Solace (3 parts): Justice Society vibe here, with lore connections to past heroes and vills. Features Skyway Contacts embroiled in corporate intrigue that’s a cover for something bigger. Homage Amalgama (2 parts): A mashup of DC/Marvel/CoH, and my love letter to superheroes in general. Stalking the Detectives/Veilance: I do not have a unifying name for this story, but it starts with kidnappings of safeguard contacts, which morphs into a bigger threat. I flat out stole the resolving plot framework from an Astro City arc, which I won't detail here due to spoilers. A bit on the one-shots: Of Guns and Asa Ronan: @Darmian instantly pegged the title inspiration the moment I published it (Guns of Navarone). That's really what I started with - a knock off title. It was also my first villain/rogue arc. I used it to experiment with chained bosses, and attempted to create an adversary with powers like Multiple Man. Used a broker as a contact. UPDATE: After watching @Valeyard's run on Twitch, saw that I had forgotten to switch off autospawn on a boss, so "Norris" kept popping up. Hoo boy. Those rookie mistakes. Also had a timer that I at first extended, then eliminated. Also made the escort mission unfailable by making Anatastio untargetable. Kind of a bummer, but just isn't worth the hassle. The Tenuous State of Grace: Created this as an entry for a contest sponsored by another player (I'm such a sh*t - I can't remember their name). If I remember right, this one ties in to Frostfire, taking place after his arrest, and before the events in The Hollows. If I remember right...it's been a LONG time. It's an old arc. Garden of the Will: Mainly fiddling around with powersets and Perez Park as a backdrop. Got a Dev nomination with this one, but, like the above, I don't remember it well. (Update: I ran this one today, and made a few minor tweaks and cleanups). The Book of Bond's: TOTALLY stole the initial plot idea from an Astro City story about El Hombre/Conquistador. Twisted it a little bit, but main impetus was to explore how supers face mortality. The Lost Girls: Why aren't they any women in the Lost? Started there, then wrote this. I still don't care for some of the costumes.:-) Injustice Systems: Premise="one bad day." You know, the theory posited in The Killing Joke? It’s a bit of that. But mainly I was working off a character idea my wife mentioned. You end up pursuing a particularly vicious bad guy, who was "driven" to it by...well, I won't spoil it. Someone might actually play it someday.:-) Gravity: The result of a wiki dive into gravitational fields. This one's actually linked to the lore, and is something of a follow up to the Sheridan arc in Bricks. Wednesday's Wyverns: Had a hankering to do something involving Manti's brood, so I fused it with Minority Report (sorta). Of 'Dine and Men: A Family/Marcone arc, having to do with a secret they don't want out (again...if I recall correctly). Dark Legacy: After crushing the Legacy Chain with one of my rogue toons, I wondered, What the hell happened to these guys AFTER that a**-whoopin'? Then I wrote this. Shadow and Silver: Wrote this after reading the Lethal Weapon-inspired backstories of the Steel Canyon detectives. Somewhat similar to The Tenuous State of Grace in that it explores the consequences of "justice." The Re-education of Westin Phipps: Everyone wants to kick Phipps's a**. So...here it is. This does not work all that well with a team, btw. The last map is VERY small, and the story just whizzes by, unless you catch the dialogue. Potter's Field: Got interested in Sharkhead's Tarixus, a contact in Potter's Field. Did some reading on Rogue Isles origin, thought about who might be buried there, and why, in particular, Tarixus is there (and why did he cross Henri Dumont, other than the obvious reason?). Also dropped in a homage to TN as a thank you for supporting AE stories (with some help from Darm, who got me the data I needed for that). Magnificence: Inspiration came out of discovery of an explore badge in St. Martial that is keyed to this slum, tucked away there near the Giza. In thinking about it, I (for some reason) decided I wanted to do a take on the Magnificent Seven/Seven Samurai). Squalls and the Comet: My stab at getting out of my comfort zone a bit. Higher level arc, with a lighter, much less bittersweet tone that I usually employ. Turf: A return to The Row (do I ever really get away from it?). Mainly an exploration of how people respond to grief. Bounty on a Mutiny: Basic inspiration is a play on the classic film(s). Also an exploration of: What happened after I took Protean's funds following the Leonard arc? Ended up being, How many traitorous double-crosses could I pile into one story?🙂 Mr. Rivers: Angel Heart meets Egyptian myth basically (well…those are the inspirations). Thirty Thousand Seconds: For my 50th published arc, I explored the idea of vulnerability. Guiding question is: what if you had a Superman without kryptonite? What does his arch-nemesis then do? The results seem a bit obvious, though I knitted in an idea based on a story my wife told me about a resident at an old folks home who paints beautifully, but, due to her declining faculties, cannot recall her own paintings after they are shown to her. I've been sitting on how to work this in to some sort of story, and did so here (as well as in my superhero novel). The Bounce House: Toying with an earlier introduction to Crimson, while working in some James Bond references. Nuthin' fancy.:-) So them's the basics. If I had to make suggestions about what's really worth running in this mess, I'd suggest; All of the KR Mega Story. If not, then start with Leviathan, and go from there. You can skip Fallout, if you want. It's just an add-on. Noble Mettle is pretty well polished. It's a more recent arc, so it doesn't suffer from my earlier inexperience. Which means any mistakes are now not due to ignorance but rather my own inherent stupidity.:-) It does have some spelling issues in the finale arc, which I can't seem to fix because the arc keeps crashing after I load it to work on it. The Bleed has an interesting, tragic tale, with nice coda. I personally liked The Cage Series, but that's because it suits my mains and their ethos. Some decent writing in there. Replayed all of Solace after TN ran it. Really enjoyed putting this one together. It could stand some tweaks, but the story is pretty solid, and the design is not as janky as some of my earlier stuff. Might go so far as to say, if you want a feel for my usual fare, this 3-arc story has all of the hallmarks (low level; new takes on established zone contacts as NPCs; small things that ramp into bigger things; bit of comedic creature dialogue; bittersweet aftermath, etc.). Of the one shots, I'd suggest: Potter's Field: More recent, so generally less wonkiness with such things as objectives and placement. Pretty decent story. Gravity: Got a Dev's Choice for that one, even though it can have spawn issues in the last mish. Of Guns and Asa Ronan: If feedback is any indication, the finale fight can be tough. In any case, it has the most plays of my one shots, a good villain, and some interesting mechanics. Anything from Magnificence on, since it should be cleaner and tighter, thanks to experience. I actually enjoyed running the Squalls arc as a player. Not sure why, exactly. I guess because it's just a simple romp. I think Thirty Thousand Seconds is a pretty cool (albeit sad) story. Superhero novel is damn near done. Less free time now that summer is over. And I have a major issue to figure out with the current chapter (a chronology issue that I'm going to have to get really creative with, lest it look like I'm just throwing it in 'cause I like it). Then, of course, reviewing again and rewrites and such. Can't see a finished draft before next summer. In the meantime, I urge everyone to check out all the new stuff being produced by the many accomplished authors providing fresh content. There's truly enough SFMA in AE to take your character on an incredible journey. If you don't believe me, check out @TerroirNoir's incredible playthroughs, featuring everyone's favorite "squishy," Engineria. Cheers, Crane

Aka, this is why Ben Simmons's career has imploded.

I can’t recall level range, but, if this is 1-54, you may need to settle on a level range, and gear toward that. Or accept that the bosses are hard, and warn the player ahead of time. Or just live with the fact that not all ATs are geared toward the mish (which tends to mirror some aspects of the normal game).

It’s already affecting employment (the white collar one, anyway). But that wasn’t my focus. I was trying to make the case that AI is unlike any other tool we’ve developed. A tool is an extension of something we already do, using our own intelligence. This is a step toward replacing several aspects of it. Maybe it’s okay, since most people’s writing is shitty. But, really, we’re talking about creating something that will replace elements of social interaction. Little things first, like going through the drive through, or trying to get help online. It’s not like I have a burning desire to talk to a real person when I order my McMuffin. But humankind’s ascent was predicated on cooperation and communication in community. If our “tool” is better at it, and eventually develops self-determination, then what is our role? At some point, the machine rewires the person.

A word processor still requires you to push the keys, which requires you to have something to say (and to have some ability to say it cogently). I don’t think this is an apt comparison. I also don’t think people shouldn’t get paid for doing their job with the tools they’re allowed. But this tool is going to make more people unemployed. The word processor just made clean text easier to produce. Now we’re asking it to type the work for us. I imagine we’ll be asking it to read it for us, or, better yet, put it into bullet points, because we don’t want to deal with reading. Assuming composition skills (or just, you know, having a decent vocabulary) continue to atrophy due to underdeveloped skills, one wonders if the average schlub of future generations will have the linguistic capacity to easily frame their requests. You can’t work smarter if you’re not very smart to begin with. Future generations won’t have just “tools.” They’ll have replacements. That humankind has made. Maybe it’ll mean people will pursue their own passions. But how many people’s passions range much further than amusing themselves to death? (Neil Postman may have been right)

Yeah...No way to track that, though, huh? We're getting into Star Trek land now. Holodeck programming and such. Computer, combine X and Y. Now show me Z. I've done it, Captain! Is what it is. Sorta democratizes artistry and creativity. Then again, info sharing democratizes the intellect when it comes to memory, so it's all an adjustment. ChatGPT already does "good enough" to crank out passable drafts that people can tweak. I'm not sure what I think about it. On the one hand, it replaces a skill I have and have depended on to a degree. On the other hand, after 26 years of reading a lot of truly bad student writing it's something of a relief that people have a crutch for mundane tasks. It's a different world. That's how it goes with progress. Just hoping by the time it eclipses personal artistry I'll be long dead. That way I don't have to crab about it.:-)

Man, if anyone out there does do this, please don’t list yourself as the author. There’s already people using AI to generate art and saying they “made it.”:-/

Capital idea! You get a similar effect and prevent the glitch.

I wouldn’t worry too much about having challenging bosses. Unless you have them overclocked with unreasonable powers, players ought to be able to make use of insps, temps and pets to overcome them.

Way of water, my friend. Best to go with with AE gives ya. Sometimes these challenges make you rethink, then execute your tale in ways that turn out to be better than you might expect. just a note on that: I’ve had instances where the fix was to rewrite the mission text to fit what I was seeing. Doesn’t sound like that will work in this case, but something to remember for the future. Worst case scenario: drop the # of Allies/patrols/battles till things fit.

They managed to speed the games up, but have made base stealing efficiency laughable with the limited pickoff throws. And pitchers tapping out after 5-6 IP is just weak. Throw gas couple times through the order, and you’re gone. Don’t bother developing additional pitches or strategies. Batters? Swing for the fences. Every time. Because it’s fun when you don’t put the ball in play.:-/ (don’t get me started on basketball, either-bombs away from 3-land, even though you’re not Steph Curry) (yes…modern sports is all over my lawn):-)

My baseball-themed toon was named Babe Gibson. Swung dat bat and yelled Batter Up!

Hell yeah, @Herotu. I've been wanting something like this for a while. At one point, I thought about making use of temps, just to drag out the various weapons. And since it's summer, this could be a project for me.:-)

You'd have to chain them, if each is a unique boss. This will lead to some running here and there on the map. I'd suggest having Marko as the BBEG, on a later mish. Story-wise, you'd want to address the questions presented by the intro, as in: Who are these guys? What do they (really) want)? What is my role in repelling them? If this is a big city-wide invasion, I assume I'll be dealing with a piece of it. I would think it'd be "all hands on deck." If so what is happening in the world around me? What's the twist? (a good story will almost always have one in there somewhere) Speaking of, it feels like there's a connection between the contact and the bad guys. (other than it being his turf) If not, story still works, but personal angles, character motivations, etc., deepen the story aspect. Good start!

Okay, did a quick run this morning. Ran with a L32 Brute Rad Melee/Energy, so he ain't super tough.

There’s a series of long form arcs in AE, if you’re looking for new content. Just search SFMA.

But did I actually "build" it? The future="I provided the framework for (X)!"

I okay a lot of blasters. If I defend myself, how do you expect me to faceplant?:-)

Ain’t that the truth. Why just the other day I was chatting with a friend about why Banner-Hulk has to be less powerful than Big-Dumb Hulk when…wait, was I talking?

Doh...double post

Not really. What you are going to get is some sort of emulation of emotion. But it will not be real. as for whether it can produce a passable facsimile, that is another question. Which is, perhaps the question you’re referring to here. Because I don’t think you’re trying to say that machines have feelings or understand them.

I’m already to the point where I’m questioning whether new forum posters are real, especially when they ask questions that could be answered with a 2-minute trip to the help section (or, you know, a Google search).

I guess you could do that for an outline. But a machine has no emotional understanding of betrayal, so I’m not sure how convincing its story could be. I guess for people who have zero writing ability, this will be a Godsend. Meanwhile, the people who do can keep creating content for them to steal/emulate.:-/

So, running tests on second arc of UNLOCK, and... Love it when my true self comes out...

Ran it. A few comments: