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cranebump

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Posts posted by cranebump

    Compiled Dev Choice Awards for HC. (ongoing)

    in Mission Architect

    Posted

    I've created 50 arcs. I don't know where that places me numerically, but I have to figure I'm in the upper quarter somewhere (which is as much a testament to how much free time I used to have versus now). As an exclusively SFMA scripter, I can only comment on my own creation conceits. To wit:

    • Except for a couple of attempts at a Task Force style story, I have scripted only for soloists. That's who I assume is doing most of the AE play. That's what I test for. Which means I'm never 100% certain how things will go when a team gives things a shot. I also assume that the typical soloist (probably with attuned IOs), and is being exemplared down. They've done the game. They're looking for something else.
    • AT matters. Some toons will blast right through a set of customs. Some will fall down before stock enemies. You can never truly know for sure how things will go, unless you get feedback (which I have, and am thankful for). I don't test for every AT. I usually test with a tank and a squishie. Which means some players will have good experiences, and others won't. 
    • I can do story all damned day. A lot of scripters can. But the AE can't always execute exactly what I want, however. I don't have tools for fine placement of baddies, or text appearing on the screen, or enemies/allies that TP out. There are no cut scenes. You have a limited amount of text (which, even if you use it, can be more than anyone wants to read). In short, it's really hard to not only tell a good story with memorable NPCs/events, but also to create mechanically clean execution of said story (much less novel execution). So you end up taking the path of water, telling the best story the mechanism can allow. In some ways this is a good thing. In other ways, it's frustrating.

    Because of the factors above, I find myself being very forgiving when I judge anyone's arc. It's just so damned hard to get things competent, much less excellent. And there's a big gulf between those two (see a LOT of the older in-game hero arcs).  

     

    A Community Choice award is an excellent idea. If it had some sort of basic criteria, even better (I still don't know what the Devs were looking for when they selected various arcs, including the two I was recognized for). Assuming we agreed to a basic standard, I think a panel would be best to actually judge. There would have to be a reasonable number of nominations for everyone to handle within a given time frame (quarterly, perhaps?). Then there's 2-3 recognized arcs from from the pile. Choices get sent to the Devs. Seal of Approval added. You used to get merits for getting a Dev's Choice, too, back in the day (like 1,000 was it?). So there was incentive beyond just recognition.

     

    I don't know how much of this is doable, because, like the Devs, people have lives. I switched employers and lost my cushy 4-day work week. My scripting AND reviewing took a hit. I'm sure others have much tougher schedules, and limited play time. That, to me, is the obstacle. Who wants to dedicate themselves to this aspect of CoH, knowing that a vast majority of folks are there just to bash heads and gain levels? (which is sorta how these games work, right?) It has to be someone (or some someones) who really dig this aspect of the game. That's how you got all the base building support. 

     

    Question is: who loves SFMA stuff enough to make it one of their primary focuses?

    • Thumbs Up 1

    Getting to the end of it

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    2 hours ago, WumpusRat said:

    You could also have made the character a scrapper, and just taken the weapon mastery epic pool. It would mean not having your "batarangs" until 35th level, but you could have batarangs, exploding batarangs, caltrops, etc.

    True. But 34 levels of not being batty would drive me…batty?:-)

    Getting to the end of it

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by cranebump

    Sometimes it’s about going for the weird.

     

    I wanted to play a truly Batman type character, which, to me, demanded throwing stars (closest we can get to batarangs and such). This meant I had to play a Dom. Primary? Nothing really fully fits the concept. I tried various builds. Ran them into the 20s,, attempted to rationalize the selections. But it just wasn’t working for me, since the primary set just never truly fit. I finally decided that, whatever I picked for a primary, I’d have to ignore most of the powers and build out using Pools.

     

    So I paired Arsenal with Martial Assault. Of course I couldn’t use a gun and be “batty,” so I skipped everything but the sleep dart and the stealth power. Took all the throwing stars as I leveled, two of the kicky powers, and paired all that with Fighting (of course). No fancy travel powers, outside the surfboard thing (though a jet pack might make more sense, I dunno). As I was slowly soloing up, I had to think about what ELSE Bats brings to the table in order to widen my power selections. Which ultimately forced me toward an unusual selection.
     

    Presence. That fear factor (2 powers that can actually tap into the Domination buff) plus the ability to “disappear” before their eyes. Between throwing shit, scaring perps, and punching them out, the resulting toon is pretty batty. Now, I DID have to sorta cheat on two things. I actually do use the sleep dart gun power (hey—no actual bullets). And I pretend that big floating cannon is a young sidekick. I also threw a lot of $$ into various set bonuses to overcome some of the gimpiness. Along the way,  I have chosen as many natural/tech contacts as I could. He’s soloed all the way to 41, save for a side trip into a Pos1 and a Saturday Night Synapse team on Torch last night.
     

    None of this is the point, though.

     

    What matters was going in whole hog on concept, rather than set combos. It felt like I was running something brand new because, to me, it was. Of course, he’ll never be a kick ass incarnate or anything. And it really is pretty silly to nerf the Domination effect. But I don’t care. He feels like a batsy guy. Especially when I augment him with some of the various temp powers (but never the revolver!).:-)

     

    I guess I’m advising that, if you’ve mastered the traditional, maybe try something outside the box. If it feels weird or gimped, just make that part of the challenge. It may be the “wrong” way to play, but it can be quite a bit of fun.

    • Like 3
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    Team etiquette

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    12 hours ago, Diantane said:

    When my team is made up of all vets (usually happens Saturday mornings), everyone clears all missions regardless when the blue exit button appears

    Sure. But if the team leader wants to be sure no one exits, announcing "it's a clear all "will prevent any confusion brought upon by the unwarranted expectation that everyone knows what everyone else is thinking.

    • Thumbs Up 1

    The Freedom Phalanx: why the hatred?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    7 hours ago, TerroirNoir2 said:

    (And while AE is not everyone's preferred play style I'd again say have a look at @Darmian's long Dark Deeds/Darker Deeds/Darkest Before Dawn series and see how one of us brings an NPC super group to life much better than the OG Devs did for the FP or the Vindicators.)

    This is true. I played the entire story as well. By the time I was done I felt like the NPCs were solid allies, since they were present in the missions. If they're there, putting it on the line beside you, you feel less like an errand b-, er, person.:-)

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    The Freedom Phalanx: why the hatred?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    13 hours ago, Snarky said:

    Positron is an Alpha Male Prick.  Citadel is one of the least imaginative TF I have ever seen, and he has BO.  Manticore is a whiny bitch.  Numina is deeply involved in the Midnight Squad cult, and even villains don't trust those pricks.  P Yin is batshit crazy in EVERY incarnation. Synapse is a Crey operative.  They all put on goody two shoe airs while telling everyone else how to live and by what rules, rules they themselves break.

     

    You can take the Snarky out of Redside…

    • Thumbs Up 1

    How do you feel about 'lone wolfing'?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    53 minutes ago, Krimson said:

    That's a byproduct of the society we live in. We are constantly conditioned to view things as either/or or neither/nor, and told that things either have to be good or bad. Human perception is shaped by the illusions of society from birth to the point where we don't even question our existence, we just accept that the view is how it is and how it should be.

    No. I'm sorry. You're completely wrong. /jranger and all that shit.

     

    (kidding):-)

    • Haha 2

    Thoughts on Fold Space Etiquette on Leagues and Teams

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Man, am I off topic here, but do any of the enemies port you to them? I figure yes, because TP protection is a thing you can slot for. But I can't recall any foes who actually do it. 

     

    On topic: Feel like Fold Space presents more problems than it solves (I'm not sure, actually that it solves anything other than cherrypicking a boss out of a mob, or making it to where people don't have to actually, you know, walk over to the enemy). I know FS can be a HUGE pain in the ass for toons with targeted patches or PB AoE's (unless you're coordinating the timing, or can figure out the user's pattern). For the one toon I have that has something like it (Wormhole), I've decided that, on teams, it's just more trouble than it's worth. Better to just lock down stuff and support the scrum. On the whole, I'd be fine with FS just disappearing as a pool power. Then you'd still see it, but on specific ATs/powersets, where it makes thematic sense.

    Crane's Short Reviews

    in Mission Architect

    Posted

    CONTRACT: Indentured Insurgents [ID 54163] by @Dracses

    This 2023, 3-mission, L24-30 arc places you in the role of mercenary stepping into a situation involving everyone’s favorite bomb-tossing miners and Arachnos. You start out by “subduing” the Scrappies while rescuing a supervisor. Your services are then retained to look further into things, where, of course, it’s Transformer-ville (er…more than meets the eye).

     

    Clever use of: friendly bosses to deliver ambiance; friendly Defend Object as critter spawners; ambushes to keep you on your toes; renaming of supplies as “Protester Barricades” [liked that one a lot]); protester banter; the rivalry between the contact and and an NPC named Milano (Extra points for an American Psycho ref [“fancy business cards”):-); enemy bosses delivering key plot details (so that don’t you don't get massive text pop ups all over the screen (since it triggers by engaging the non-objective boss directly); reskinning objects to fit the story. Just lots of nice little details. 

     

    Design issues? Oh, yeah. There’s an incomplete clue in M1 (“Some of the protesters mentioned…” and we never find out who). Repetition of popup and end mish text (both M1 and M2 had this–they end pop and the mish end text is exactly the same). LOOOONG activation timers on final mish glowies (15 seconds. Each). A passel of glowies with no end text (M2). Missing search bar text on the actual M2 glowie objective, followed by Find Mission Exit, but nothing much to fight through (nothing that I saw anyway). Then there’s the past-tense mention of by the contact in M3 of what is ACTUALLY being mined, while I saw no clue of this in the mish preceding it , leading to the exchange: “Remember, we’re mining __________.” (Remember? This is the first I’ve heard of it!). Oh, and…a cake map. Boo.:-)

     

    On the whole, I LIKE this story idea. A LOT. I like that the text is clean and clear (edited). I like seeing the Scrapyarders. The plot twist is pretty clever, too. There’s great development of the contact’s personality, and really nice scene setting in M1. But, on the whole, it just not finished yet. Minor design flaws prevent this from shining as bright as it could. As such, we have a Seal of Approval with a very nice sheen on one side, while the other could stand a burnish.

     

    PLAY THIS IF: You like to mix it up with Scrapyarders. You're a fan of good character writing. You like glowing green crystals. 

     

    NOTE: @Dracses has a dozen stories, many of them created in 2024. Making a note to try another sometime.

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