cranebump

Perhaps. But I guess that means it doesn't qualify as "worst combo." Having run a few Sent x/Regen chars, I didn't mind having 0 Stamina issues.

Anything/regen ain’t too bad on a sentinel.

Year 1, Day Mangosteen Devil Bat gets FLASHY! Strange dreams inhabit the head of a young man in love... They also flash through half-used craniums like mine. Specifically, "visions of times gone by that never were. " And no, those aren’t Gordon Lightfoot lyrics. But rather, visions of the PAST (that never were). What I mean is, the Bat is headed to the super hot, super happ’nin’ realm of OUROBOROS! …hello…Place sure is…jumpin’, eh? But is Ouroboros “ouro-boring?” I think not! Why? This: FREE CALIMARI Gimme sum o’ dat spongy goodness! After getting trashed by some sort of "Godzilla lobster," I head toward my ACTUAL target. Kal-ee-MAAAAAAAA! Why am I here? To go back in my past (that never was)! Turns out, in my rush to Batty-up, I may have missed a few things, namely long forgotten stories with edgy titles, like this one: …hmmmm…white after labor day…well, strike me off, Tim Gunn. Officer Fields is mah man. So, of course, he immediately sends me away to AP to see Detective Pierce. Good guy. A bit gruff. Mole with a hair in it on his nose (don'tstaredon'tstaredon'tstare!) Interestingly, even "downsized" to L7, some things about my Battage remain the same. Namely: Yep. I still have an airborne Evinrude strapped to my back. So, first, Detective Pierce calls me a noob. I guess, since this is a flashback, I sorta am. Then again, maybe I’m perpetually a noob (It’s how I stay young, man!). Anyhoo, nasty business with missing body parts, which can only mean my old friends, the Vahzilok are…What’s that? I haven’t really met the Vahzilok yet? But I clearly remember the lingering poison, rusty blades and non-elective plastic surgery, so…Ah...very well then (hangs up phone). DAMN YOU, YOU TIME-TRAVELING CONUNDRUMS! (sigh) Okay, then - I’m officially a noob. "Vahz? What’s that?" Thank goodness I’m a detective and can figger this stuff out. So off I go, using my SKILLZ! Alright, I do see blood spatter here, indicating there may be a victim nearby…hmmmm…anybody see anything? Augustus? Tomas?...anybody? Nothing there, so I best question “jaded woman,” a witness, evidently [yeah…sure…like she’s gonna know anything] {see? I can be jaded, too}. Initially, she’s not forthcoming: I quickly put a stop to that: C’mon, whassamatter? You chicken? Bakbakbakbakbakbak! My subtle tactics pay off: Me? Protect YOU? Watch THIS, lady! See? If I can handle re-attaching those powerlines without insulation, I can SURELY protect YOU! Assured by my extreme bravery in the face of lacking my journeyman electrician's permit (plus the fact that I sang Wichita Lineman while I self-spliced the power cables), Jaded Woman gives me the details: Vahzilok! I knew i-, er, I mean, who? Seems these fiends (whom I’ve never, ever heard of, not in any way whatsoever), have headed to the sewers (which I’ve also never, ever heard of, nuh-uh, no-way [what’s a soo-er?]). Before I go, though, something really needs to be dealt with, namely Scared Guy in the background. First off, bruh, your “scared pose:” It's not bad, but I ain’t really buyin’ it. Looks like you’re about to shove a broad-shoulder wombat over a cliff. It’s more like: Start with a contorted scream, then: Bit of a toddler drop-and-roll to the ground, followed by: A pelvic thrust that really drives them craa-a-a-a-aaaazy. Get all that? Good. Now - I have to go to some place I never been, to beat the a$$es of people I’ve never met. Eh. It’s a living. Off we go! Still using the usual tactics: First…the disappearing/reappearing fist to the face. Then Ol’ "Empty Muzzle" gets in on the action: Is that a BOOK!? DAMN YOU AND YOUR ATTEMPTS TO BETTER YOUR LIFE! My Vahz whomping earns me another audience with Officer Fields, who sends me to a starlet. Or a hero. Okay, a starlet that was formerly a hero. Got it (writing it down...making a little doodle to represent things visually...now a flowchart...now drawing a peni$...). Anyway, she’s talking to me and I get…distracted. I…LOVE this movie! I’ve seen it 4,751 times! I’ve been IN it! I mean, not me, but…(swoon) soooo good (I have the autographs of BOTH the hydra heads). I give the beatdown to some Vahz on the streets, where I find a note from Dr. Vahz himself! (er, I mean, who? Does he like me? Do I check the box, "yes or no?"). But it’s not about Doc V (bummer!). It’s about Joseph Botte! (who he you aks?) Well, okay. Shivans and meteors and tests (oh, my!). This simply MUST be dealt with. I hurry off to- Waitaminute…Whoa… ...Banksy? I get his autograph anyway (just in case). Then, into a soo-er (strange name - I woulda called it a “turdhole” or something, but I’m not eloquent). Once in, things get monologue-y. I can hear Botte's voice echoing all over the place (because villains have, like, sonic vocal cords and depthless lungs). He's giving a dissertation that includes this nugget: Oh, my…that’s not proper for a Ted Talk! This will not stand (and if he has a book in his face, it'll stand even less!). I race through the stewage (I like that name better), eventually finding this: What do they call this now? A villainous “lay-er?” After dealing with his invulnerability device (where can I get one of those?), I deal with Botte’s Booty. As in kicking it. But, Joseph, a low-interest loan from your friendly, local lender can accomplish the same thing! WITHOUT all the unnecessary surgery! In the end, I wrap up things in the past in the same manner I often do in the present: That’s right…drool over my badassery…er, I mean, “No problem, citizen!” And, of course, the best thing: I’m ri-...hang on a second… Are we SURE it’s just 3?...uh, huh…oookay…no problem... Excuse me a moment... Why, Uncy Cyrus? WHYWHYWHY? ([sniff] Is that a lifesaver in your hand?)

Enjoy!

I’ll be on THU during the day and, hopefully the evening. Hit me up if anyones around!

Ditto on watching teams travel across the zones. Now that I’m older I miss the break between mishes. You get some of that when you’re humping to each kill all in the new Pos. The other day I was on my groundbound gun toter. It was cool to watch the flyers zoom above, the TPers popping in and out, while the rest of us sprinted and hopped here and there. Really gives that “here we come!” feeling. That’s part of the whole super thing, too, ain’t it?

The whole thing on that passed right by me. Last time, I just hoarded the various temp bow attacks. My tech blaster whipped them out every now and then. It was months after the event, so I almost felt I was doing something wrong (Not to mention that I’m using a “love” power to attack people. The delicious irony!)

Sez you, buddy. I'm always flying blind, even with my eyes wide open.:-)

There's a few things I do as a designer that I seldom do when I run my normal characters (mainly because I'm running old content). For example, in AE, when I'm testing an arc, I keep 3 boxes always open where I can cleary see them: the default message box (for results from clickies), a separate Clues box (so I don't have to pop into the tab above), and a box just for NPC dialogue (which is often integral to story). If I'm just tooling around in the actual game, I hardly EVER do this. And, for a while, I carried that habit into SFMA's, and, for some stupid reason, didn't even think about dedicating specific chat boxes to just these things. Once I started doing that, the benefits of just having all that info in front of me while going through the story became obvious. Because of that, I'm thinking it might not be a bad idea to suggest this to others who want to get the most from an SFMA arc. Have the info boxes on display, so you can track them as you go. Now, you all may already do this anyway (because you're smarter than crane ever was and ever will be).:-) But, if you ain't, open them boxes up! Makes all the difference (plus, you can talk sh*t about your stupid past self).:-)

Good idea. At the moment, though, I'd have almost nothing to contribute {knocks on a stack of 2x4's).

When I say "hurry up!" I mean hurrythef***upgditbeforeitstoolate!:-)

You're the reason I bother to look at signage in the city.:-)

Hey, Riders. I've been busy with Devil Bat (and trying to get Excel Whipsmart to 50 so I can keep the name). Haven't done much soloing here. But I'll be on this THU, FEB 16, during the day and eve, if anyone needs a hand with anything.

It's been so damned long, I went back and played The Bleed. I'm not a big fan of magic-based stuff, but thought I'd do it, since it was so out of my wheelhouse. But I thought the story was pretty good. And Pretes was TOUGH. Sheesh...I took my 50+ in there, and the alpha hardly scratched her. I have to get some more slots, but I've got one long range project going. Been mulling a lot, but only started laying down some actual notes today. Should be a one-shot. IF I can get it to work. I say if because the approach is a bit different.

Hey, all. Running an @TerroirNoir recommended arc. After scanning the level ranges, I decide to go in with an incarnate, the KR Devil (you may have seen him this week, completely stupiding up a Pos2 via indiscrimminate tab-targeting and peeking too far over the rim during the last barrel fest of the TF). Derrrr…. I’ll try not to spoiler anything particularly wicked. Which I can’t do if I start with what’s public knowledge: First off, great premise. Really great. Second: tag this with SFMA. We want you on OUR team, kemosabe!:-) Again, not spoilering and this is a mini, so general stuff: This is the first part of a series, so you're going to be introduced to an adversary you're sure to meet sometime later in the metaplot. It's fairly easy for an incarnate (most of the time), but there are some sneaky threats in there where, if you don't watch your booty, you'll get curbed-stomped (esp. the finale, where I did - twice). The author has strong scripting skills. It reads like an in-game mish. It also has a variety of threats, so, depending on what AT you take in there, you could find yourself sailing one minute, faceplanting the next. A L50+ is recommended, due to the bosses (and if you're a puny blaster without a maxed out build, you're gonna need some insps and pets here and there). Kudos: Clean. No typos I could see. Nice, clean flow of one mish to the next. Map choices, enemies, and challenges were varied. Really enjoyed the boss fights. Had to drag out my pets for several, which is rare. Finale fight is excellent. I had to incorporate some maneuver and judicious use of Insps. Okay, one spoiler: having Synapse for an ally, you’re not likely to lose him:-) (though somehow I found a way to get him stuck for a hot second. Doesn't bombard with clues (like that butthead @cranebump sometimes does).:-) EXCELLENT use of in-game personalities, both bad guys and allies. I **kinda** wanted an ally in the last boss fight, but I kinda didn't.:-) (does that make sense?) it was RIGHT there on the brink of being overly hard, but, since I handled it (with 2 faceplants in the finale [one because I rezzed too damned close to the boss]), I'd have to say the author does a really good job of making the big challenges actually challenging without being unreasonable. Tweaks and Fixes: Color code your mish titles (set them apart from the mish text). Not sure why the contact name and info are different? If there’s a connection I missed it. M4: Search text is missing from Primal Codex objective (the one that appears on the bar when you click). Extra carriage return in the finale mish success text. (you've got a needless space between paragraphs) The final mish had me bouncing back and forth a bit to find rescues. The map is small and fairly straight, so this isn't a deal-breaker, but forward momentum is always nice. It goes without saying that there's a LOT of psionic threats in this story. I had my hands full at times. Use of customs to add a variety of powersets is a great idea, but you want to be careful of it being a one-trick pony. That said, I'm thinking greater variety comes in when the other chapters are complete. Kyksie might accuse you of having a few too many glowies.:-) It needs timers (KIDDING! [that was for @Zhym):-) Verdict: Play it! I searched the author's sig to see if they'd done anything else, and didn't find anything. So, if this is a first shot at AE, it's exceptionally good. Better than a lot of my early stuff, I must say (not that I'm a pro or anything, but I know my own early-stage suckage). Regardless, it's a strong effort. And, since it's a series, I look forward to seeing it among @TerroirNoir's reviews when he adds it to his list of 3,462 missions.:-) Nice work!

My blaster has slows, blinds, stuns, knockdown and holds. Granted not on the order of specialists, but this idea that all a blaster does is damage seems ludicrous. The very type of damage a blaster does often inflicts conditions in its own.

I am a big fan of cones. But they always seem to overload them when they give you that third scoop of ice cream 🙂

Haven’t you heard? Nobody needs to write anything anymore. Chat GPT is going to do it all for us. Thank God. We’ve been actively wasting all these brain cells when we could be going to the Feelies.

Year 1, Day Pop Tart (x2.7) Devil Bat Gets Viggy wid it (again) This episode, we go trom Atlas Park to right up your street! ("street" in no way being a metaphor for an orifice, or band of pirates, or stuff like that, but rather a way to colorfully present...I forgot what I was going to say...) It’s Vigilante (or Hero) time again. Why? Why not? (have we EVER had a reason for anything we've done, thus far?). But, no. We really should have some sort of rationale (if not rations, the K type [blech!]). So, if we must, then this: See? I can get El RICH! (I think…) But URG! My choices! Destruction of people and property? Or extreme happiness in pursuit of self-satisfaction? Damn you, you Sophie’s Choice of Missions! Much as I want to slap Desdemona's a** (er…metaphorically…), I feel I can’t let her blow stuff up and hurt innocents (and Hellions. They're misunderstood). So…. HERO TIME IT IS! (now with EX-TRA FLEX-A!): Hitch a ride, there, brutha? No? (sigh) OFF TO TALOS! (sigh) A whole BUNCH of Talos… Hey, truckster! Catch a…ride? Hmmmm….(sniffs armpits, checks breath) Guess he don’t like mint & lilac (in that order). FYI: Talos is not exactly a walk in the park for me yet. (pst) Dude in the green shirt…What’s your secret, man? I can't even get close to these guys, and you're all, "Don't mind me. I'm wearing khakis." I arrive on Gdisitfar Island. Dangerous place. I better be REALLY careful, ‘cause this far flung patch of cliffs and demon worshippers doesn’t have a random phone booth. I take an arrow right in the patootie, just for passing by! (that was mean, bro...real mean...) Once inside something like looks like an Oran (Oren?) Burger hideout, I am greeted by chanting. After confirming it is most definitely not Doo-Wah-Diddy-Diddy-Dum-Diddy-Dumber, I gird my flank steak to take on the Circle of Shizz (time to get MEZZED! Or FLOPPED! Or [insert some other annoying things these morons do]). But I’m ready this time! First we start with the ol’ shimmy shake: There she was. Just-a walkin’ down the street, singin’- -doo wah diddy, I am kickin’ your a**. (ow…arrows…pointy…ow…) And the hits keep on rollin’: Ah’m a SOULLLL (less) MAGE! (Dah-dah-dah, da-dat-da-dahhhhhh) Of course, THEN I get cocky. And we all know what THAT means: Gdit, Leroy… My new Cosi Fan Tutti power may help with the mezzes and stuff, but all that dark spirit world angel dust is a real bear (a big one...like the one that got Grizzly Man [hmmm...STILL too soon?]. And it's especially a bear when you don’t turn all your toggles on. Or open your Temp Powers tab. Or play like a dumbass. So. Round 2: Yeah, we might wanna try the OTHER tunnel… Fine, then! Round 3: Try THIS on for size, you Spectral Suckahs! (sigh)... Round 4: It's not cheating if I really, really, enjoy it. Needless to say, things go (a bit) better after that: I even drag out Ol’ Betsy for the Coup de Gras: This…is my BOOMSTICK! In the end, the people are saved from almost certain temptation (er, destruction, I mean). But me? I need some a** salve. So, after our jaunt with Des’s destructive potentiality, I figure it’s time to slip back into the regular togs and visit the base, where, once again, @Etchedhas some surprises in store. Namely, I have a GD APARTMENT! See that? That’s MY entryway, beyotches! YEAHHHH, MUTHAF…er…{ahem} I mean Welcome to DB Abbey. You may use the front entrance. So, There’s a LOT of cool stuff to see. I mean it! LOTS. But before all that… I’ve finally found you, kemosabe… Ahhhhh…been holding that for 24 levels… Okay, so LOTS of touches. I’ll highlight but a few, the ones that are truly “Batty.” Like here: Plain ol’ office? Sure. But, of course, DB keeps a pair of binoculars handy (and a bottle of Jack, because, when you're window peeping from a distance, the less perspective on your actions, the better). Plus that fanboy poster! (sh…don’t tell anybody, but I think Manticore’s dreamy…that ain’t him? Okay, then THAT guy’s dreamy…somebody is…). Think that’s kitschy? Not even close! Check out how I clip coupons: Precision, ladies and gentlemen. Precision… This is one of my favorites: I can mix some guacamole in the mortar bowl while I tend to my server/stereo (as if I know where all these wires go). On the macro front, we got some nice, ocean front property we stole from the Council (no one bothered us about it, because who cares if Nazis fall prey to random eminent domain?). Which is cool, because no Casa Grande is complete without some views: Yes! Views, baby!. Especially the view of THIS prominent landmark: Man, if nothing else illustrates what goes on in my head, this certainly does.:-) Yup…Really nice views of- WHAT THE-! HOLY F*****’ HELL! HELLLLLLLLLLP! I need a plan! I know! I’ll enlist the aid of my trusty sidekick, Ralph: That’s it boy! Sit up! Beg! Roll over!...GOOD JOB! (you have lots of teeth, Ralph. LOTS of teeth…I love you?) Okay, Ralph is damn busy with those fleas (though I'm not sure why so many nest in his nether region, and why he has to chew around there so much). C'est la Testicules. I'll have to come up with something else to deal with my Ritkto neighbors. Firepower. I need some firepower. But I don’t want to have to buy 65 steaks at Daddy Yin's Bizarre Bazaar just to get the free rocket launcher. Hmmmm… I wonder if Bob managed to sneak in some heavy equipment? I’d call that a ‘yes.’ So, we leave it there, for now, with the Bat experiencing decision paralysis because he has 57 ways to blow sh*t up. Of course there’s always THIS reliable option: For the last time, John, I am NOT throwing 16 pizzas at the Rikti! The "Flying Sausage Fest" maneuver just does not work! Peace out, peoples. And thanks again to @Etched (and his toon, Builder Bob) for sprucing up the Bat Digs. We'll try to prove worthy of the effort (with "try" being the operative word). Til next time, STAY BATTY!

You are not alone in your disdain. But I’m not surprised. We’ve been slowly replacing ourselves with machines for decades. By the time this is perfected, maybe we won’t be needed at all. But I must take solace in the fact that I probably won’t be around to see Skynet finally take over.

LOVE seeing Noble Savage.:-)

Wellllll….there’s only ONE arc left in Mobius.:-D

Year 1, Day Regis Philbin (who knows HOW old that f*****r was, right). Devil Bat and the Hand of IRON To recap: Now that Andrew Fiore has offered us VIP access to the entire CostCo inventory, he has a pair of disparate stories for us: The Chameleon Suit and the Hand of Iron. I know which one I’m going with… Hand of iron baby! (hmmm…why didn’t that call down a lightning bolt?...oh, well…) Our first mish is difficult. I am required to move with a PURPOSE! …I hate having a purpose… So, it’s a half-mile here, a half-milre there, here a half, there a half, etc., with my usual means of locomotion: I’m RUN-NING, Jenn-ay! Along the way, I find a location that shares its name with my bedroom: As in “givin’ perps the SPANK DOWN!” (don’t know what YOU thought) So we go here and there, and everything’s pretty cool. THEN they send me to the last phone box, which is right HERE: Seriously…Who they gonna call? “Hey, Baron Zoria. What was that last incantation again? Thanks, bro. After I smack some CoT and free poor Jill from the Green Orb of Death, I get word that Detective Rondel Jackson, our man undercover in the Freakshow, may be in trouble. Oh, my! I guess I should get right over there and… …beat up…other guys not…even close to him…(sigh) After a nice long swim across the Engrish Channel (which is the English Channel, but using a bad google translator), I trundle around Talos, having one of those senior moments where I suddenly forget where the hell things are in this zone. Eventually, I locate some suitable prospects, get my booty Boardwalked by a purple Hewer who decided to stop by, then head back out for Green pastures (as in everything Green or below, and carry a lotta Greens in case Hugh Errrrrr stops in again). NATURALLY, I find large groups of yellows. Noooo problem, After getting Juiced by one gang (I assume the juice is that “super Coke” I drank in a previous mission), I finally say to myself, “Self - where would YOU be if you were a Freak?” Why, practicing with my garage band, of course? Done, and done.For my pains I get: Hmmm…Milk, Taters, 3-in-1 oil…that’s some weird names, man. Since I can’t make sense of this, I take the dang thing to Detective Jackson (OOOOH! I am fo’ REEEEEL!). Before that, a stop by the base, where I find Builder Bob (aka @Etched) has my dank a** covered: I’m not worthy! We collect a little rent from (dis)Able Cain: More bone dust…hooookay… Base porter puts me right next to RJ, who’s happy to receive the list (but doesn’t explain why the Freaks need 300 heads of cabbage and 1 industrial spool of 18-gauge copper wire). By the way, THIS is our inside man>: Man…you look FREAKY! Sooo…plain… Flush with pseudo success, I call up Andy Fiore.Surely, I’ve now proven that I can handle the TOUGH ONES< right? RIGHT? But…no…”Talk to the guy you’re standing next to.”...okay…I…got this… Doh! Our inside man IS “Hand of Iron.” Not Plain Ron. (reading is fundamental - it ruins the surprise) I have to go get him in Booms, Jackson sez. Of course, I’M “Hand of Iron,” too, right? What if I get confused? After being informed that confusion is my natural state, I take off, reassured I can do no further harm to kith, kin, and…pumpkin (I suppose). I head back to base, wondering if Builder Bob has the hook up for me, since hoofing it is wearing out my “Bat Cycle” (aka, the soles of my shoes). After a quick round of Kashmir backwards, I am in the zone. Dat’s a big zone, man. We hover for a moment, just taking in the natural beauty of this place: …yuck… After a leisurely flight (with my eyes closed, to avoid the yuck), I find da door. Time to beat up on a boss and some cronies. A welcoming committee…joy… Further in: Even MORE joy… The usual Freak shenanigans (I’m dead! Psyche! I’m up!), and a burst of confidence when Jump Kick actually crits (for 92 damage! YAY!...oh…not much is it?), I make my way to the intersection of a 4-way, where I discover that KB empowerment I took: …it sorta works… Meandering and pummeling. The place is big. And stinky. I think about changing into my white togs, just to defy the turd-smell. Before I can, though, I locate someone who looks suspiciously like a boss. Why? He’s got a great “Freezeek.” Heh-heh…(ahem) Freezeek’s villainous monologuing sounds a bit come-hither: But it ends up like all my dates - with someone writhing on the floor in shame, and looking like this: Stay for breakfast? After Big Chief (a**) Swiper goes down, we level up. Back to IP to see Rondel “All’s Not Well” Son of Jackie. We hit the base (thanks to that TP straight to base thing we got from standing next to the 50,000 volt electrified column in KR (don’t worry - it’s DC - you won’t stick). After determining that Disabled Cain is not a hero trainer, I decide to hit Ronnie up before levelling up. Seems “Iron Hand” is in trouble in AP. FINALLY, I’m off to meet my namesake- after stopping by Ms. Lib and complimenting her on that sword she never uses. Lo and behold: one of my powers lets me jump HIGHER! FASTER! SPRINGIER! SPONGIER! (but not too springy, bc Super Jump is scary). I didn’t realize that. Who cares if it’s just a temporary effect. This bum be jumpin’! (imperceptibly higher). Things are looking up. I get to fight pseudo-Nazis! Weak pseudo Nazis… Fist > than foot, bro. This time anyway. I find my guy WAY in the back, and lo and behold: Wt-haydee ho? You’re a traitor! BASTARD! Now you’ve got me: Seeing RED! Feel my vigilante edge, homeslice! I warned you, bronnaise... A few more P-Nazi’s waltz in. We give ‘em the heave-ho. Then. we’re done! I’m still breathing red steam when I contact my buddy Rondel. And Holey Moley! There’s a Costco VIP room! SLAMMIN’! But more importantly: I get a special pair of Ray Bans, and a slew of delicious MERITS! I am one wascawwy Bat.

I understand. But there really isn’t any way to make statements actual death actually means something in the law as it is. You can provide a better explanation of how it happened, as Darmian does, But he’s still i unceremoniously dead and really it feels like for absolutely nothing. wasn’t even a fight. That is what my ire is directed at by the way. The way statesman died, and the lame ass adversary they chose to do it. Sorry about the typos. I’m dictating this by voice in my car.

Which is pretty much what it was, right? Personality conflicts among devs, I've read, leading to f*** your characters. We'll just kill them. Lame. Just lame. Your idea is logical and works as a solid explanation for what happened. But it's still Darrin F'in Wade (catspaw or not). And there isn't enough lipstick in the world to completely spruce up that pig.:-)