cranebump

Chiming in here. Not sure the word "stigma" applies so much as "skewed expectations." AE is just LOADED with farms, to the point where the story arcs can be drowned out. However, it's just a simple matter of typing "SFMA" to locate a treasure trove of work. From my rather small sampling of the mass of what's out there, I've found most efforts to be competently executed (and by that I mean, they can stand in for the average older missions right now). There are also plenty that are a cut above. Anklysaur's work is consistently strong. Darmian's Dark Deeds arc is as good as any extended story in the game right now. Peacock's The Reports of My Death Are Entirely Accurate is one of the most creative stories I've ever played, AE or otherwise. The 3 Arcs I've reviewed for Under the Radar Reviews are all good enough to function as in game missions (with Miss Jersey's being particularly fun, IMHO). So, yeah--there are some amazing storytellers out there. You find a way to make use of their talents -- for free, I might add -- that's just a grand bargain.

No problem. My AE arcs already have an explanation for all of that (the Mobius Strip), and an organization that deals with its issues (Wards Prime). MEND AWAY! You're welcome for that shameless plug.🙂

We have plenty of zones, and lots of content. Much of it simply gets skipped. What I’d like to see, though, as far as content adds: *re-do some of the old TFs (particularly Synapse and Cit). Consider having 2-3 parts for each contact, expanding the level ranges to fill gaps. Since each TF is multi-part, the number of mishes could be reduced (a la Yin, Posi). *Consider additional signature arcs (that are perhaps tied to origin? Might be interesting for some stories to be unlockable only by certain kinds of backgrounds). Or include an SSA with the Weekly TF/SF. This content seems to get bypassed, and it’s merit-rich. *Develop Kallisti. Plenty of room for new content there.

Okay, so here goes with the “classic” run as Acrobattle. Powersets: MA/ SR (feel my brawl!) I did mess with some of the animations, because Acro ain’t that kicky. Into the Outbreak! And I ammmm… Oh, soooo slow...thudthudthudthud… Run around to various cops. Used a big red Insp to take out 4 contaminated. Und now--THIS GUY! Okay, so I enter the new mish and, believe me THIS scares me: Little dark there, but it’s FOUR yellows. Me with exactly 2 attack powers (and I started with the most basic one from MA). A long time of hitting and kicking later… (and one HUGE green insp), we finish up the mish. LEVEL 2! YEEEEEEHARRRRR! Off to Atlas I go! I’m newly minted! Level 2: After training, I go to Susan Davies (my assigned contact). Now, these days, I usually scamper around and get all the exploration badges in Atlas. Nope. Gonna have to earn a jump pack for that. That statue is TALL… On my way to touch base with Laurance Mansfield. I spend some time actually street sweeping. Suddenly, I care about the citizens here…:-) I decide the missing reporter is not this Todd dude, but Acro’s girlfriend in his backstory, Taya. This is how they met. (awwwwwwww….) Anyway off to the whorehouse! I mean warehouse! This one introduces Council. Beat up some groups, including an orange LT. End up having to rest. NOTE: Dependence on INSPs! And since this is pre-combine them, I have to take what I get. Challenge! Level to 3 in the last room, so sweeping up Blues. “Taya” gives me a clue (and her digits, I decide). 🙂 Level 3: The arc continues. I get another Council warehouse to clear out. Take out a boss and all the cronies, as directed. At this point, I’m seriously thinking of giving sprint a second slot. Lack of speed is an issue for someone who’s supposed to be quick. I know Acro gets Quickness at 20, but that’s a long way off at this point. Anyway, food for thought. Davies sends me to see Jose my BRO-gan. At this point, I check the “rules” for classic play and realize I’ve cheated by slotting the freebies.Ohhhh, well…Anyway, mish complete. Running (if you can call it that) back to Davies. Level 4: Davies gives me a chance to patrol, so hell yeah, I do it. I also pick up mishes from Nandelu and Mr. Davies, so my queue is full. Polish off Security Chief thing to finish Susan’s arc, then off to next and I get: As Acro don’t take no jibe (or jive), I git down to bidness. Level 5: Wrapped up the Davies arc. Introduced to Rachel Torres who wants me to head to KR. Not yet, mon ami. It’s at this point I realize there are no safeguard mishes...right? NOTE: In checking my map, I can see how I have an ever-widening circle going on. The mishes tend to fan out from the City Center. Pretty cool, actually. Level 6: At this point, Nandelu introduces me to Juan Jimenez in KR. Seeing as how I have to see the security chief now, looks like I’m moving to KR. My Atlas run appears to be finished. King’s Row (Start=level 7) I level up after a street sweeping mish. Pick up Samuel Pierce as a contact. I have Jimenez and Rachel Torres’s arc going concurrently. Lots of police backup available, thankfully. I am still a bit...slow. Running that is. Time for Rapid Travel! And by that I mean intentional hospitaling. It’s a long way back from High Park. Picked up Sanders contact. Still working on Torres/Jimenez. Have to visit Pierce. Hope he’s on the way. Purple Clocks SUUUUCK! (except for that one that sent me to the hospital...MY CHOICE, DAMNIT!) Have a mish to stop Boneshaker. I sing his name to Zep’s “Heartbreaker” (to include the riff: dunnndunndunn-dadundunnn”). It is here I find that it takes a Skull a long time to get up from a Crane Kick. Why am I kicking lab equipment? Can’t I just knock it over or something? Rage issues…(it also takes a minute to get up from an ass full of buckshot...I find…) Holy microclimate, Batman. The ponds aren’t frozen over in KR! No sliding…(sigh). Session wraps up at L9. On that: Perez Park is a PAIN for travel. I ended up hopping up on the boundary wall then scampering across the trees. The Vazhilok mishes I picked up prior to that were rough (no toxic def/dr). Then defeating 20 skulls in PP. I ended up hitting and running, then drawing them towards the police drones. They either engaged or scattered, so I could pick off stragglers, or dive behind the drones and let them cull them. Presence of Death Dolls made that a tough one. TOUGH. Also had kill 10 CoT in PP. Ran into one (ONE) Madness Mage. Mezzed the whole time. Died a few times in there. Conclusions (so far). Only thing I miss a LOT is travel. I am waiting until 14, per the “rules” for that. Will feel like a real achievement to get it. Not doing safeguards costs the jump pack and jet packs. These things were in play when I started (with the Good v. Evil version). So...if the idea is to feel a sense of real challenge, mission accomplished. Woulda liked some teams for the PP stuff, but I did not advertise. Felt like cheating. ‘Til next time, Crane

Oops! Sure did. Let’s see if I can fix it.

Posted wrong thread.

Cruising through KR running in "classic" mode. Random Skull sez: "I have a drinking problem. Problem is, I can't get a drink around here.":-)

Okay, I'm game. Will play an "old school" version of my main, Acrobattle. I'll go with MA/SR. This echoes the first character powersets I ever used (which I soon discarded--didn't know what the hell I was doing). Also toning down the FX some, just 'cuz. Playing on a shard with no characters of mine anywhere to be found, so even feels like a new account. Here goes nuthin'...:-)

Intended to drop in the old descending AC chart at first, but this one won out.:-) (I'm a Dungeon World GM these days, and FATE).

No problem, kemosabe.:-)

Will this do?:-)

Why I picked it: WW2 Theme, unusual level range, “Paragon Society” (I’m a fan of the JSA), only 9 reviews (Under the Radar!) What I ran it with: Gunbone (L29 Defender) Powersets: Dark Misama/Dual Pistols/Badassery Mish 1: Okay, time to deal with the fargin’ pseudo-Nazis. First off, the contact, The Firecracker Kid: Holy irony, Batman. Your “kid” days are passed. But no matter. What’s the skinny? So, I guess it's “I'm glad you tromped on my lawn...a**hole…” (“Faceyspace?” Seriously, “Kid,” take it easy). *Mish 1=Stop a break in. Locate a case that I am not to open UNDER PENALTY OF DEATH (yeah, it was in all caps, and red, that one). *Start out defending a statue from 5th column (one of whom screams, “For the Fatherland!”). Yeah, we know who we’re dealing with here...people from Pennsylvania…(kidding...mostly...actually met a dude with a Hitler ‘stache from there irl...no kidding…) *“Superior breeding” indeed. Knock out the perps, find the safe. *Clue=some burnt film here. The Column got to the case first and vandalized it. NAZI BASTARDS! (er, I mean...Goodness Gracious!) Back to Kid F *Mish kudos: great map! I’m totally unsure which one it is, but now I have to use it sometime. And then there’s this nugget upon my return: Kid F...the F is for “Jackass.” Mish 2: Okay, first off, I don’t get coffee at the coffee shop anymore. And if I did, who cares if it’s cocoa foam? (and a double?...with sprinkles...) (Enjoying the old man’s crusty persona, btw) Look’s like son of KF’s ol’ running dog, “Red White Boom.” This “Sherman” might be there. Hmmm...could he possibly be, I dunno, a TANK?:-) 5th column base map (boooo caves, but it’s 5C, so, whaddaya gonna do?). Main Task=”Secure Stolen Info” ON IT! (after I have my cocoa foam fru-fru java) Several minutes of skulking/shooting about and I find Shermie. Obviously on the ‘roids… The two of us take out Commander Hecker. Or rather, I get a few shots in before Shermie pounds them with an overhead SLAM! (Yeah, he’s got some chops there). Kudos: Changing the text color of the clues to match each mission (green for 1, orange for 2). EXCELLENT idea! (stealing) So, on to 3: After I offer the “no worries,” Kid F calls me a “Nancy,” but sends me in anyway. Warning on screen about “Elite Boss.” Wonder if it’s actually Shermie? In we go… 3: Investigate destroyed lab Using one of the FL dig labs in Agent G arc. I just ran this recently, so familiar. Experiments turn out to be cloning tubes. Clues found: DNA in cloning tube I destroyed, then a crate with Shermie’s costume and cape in it (uh oh…) Boss battle with Hecker not too hard. I have multiple Fear powers, plus placate. He spent a lot of time trembling. He did inform me of Shermie’s apparent demise, however. Took out a control console to finish mish. Hard drive indicates next location. So, Cloning Tube, and missing tanker=I probably have to fight some version of Sherman. Mish 4: Well, well, nice twist here about Sherm’s origin (no reveals, but unexpected). Off we go! Save Sherman and Arrest Base Commander Located Sherm. Just in time, evidently: Interesting (optional) clue of pic of old Paragon Society. It has holes from darts in it.:-) (nice touch) Okay a bit worried here, as Sherman is spouting off German phrases as we fight. And of COURSE, Sherm turns on me. Doing fine till I got hit and held. Didn’t help that I pulled a stray group to help him. Got sent to hospital. Stocked up on insps and went back in. Just noticed, I don’t have to beat Sherman. The last objective's a glowie. So I grab that and disregard another ass whoopin’. Mish 5: Okay, so with device, Sherman is saved! Forgot to mention: custom enemies appeared. Boss named Blitzkrieg for one. Okay, so unsurprisingly (now), 5th column is rebooting their cloning thing to create an army of supermensches. Pretty straightforward objective: Then again: 🙂 Find Sherm guarded by some customs. Here’s my favorite: Heh...nice… Once I get Sherm on my side, we lay waste to everything. He went a bit crazy in the final room. I had the big boss slowed and debuffed, but Sherm KB’ed him out of the targeted Debuff, then aggroed the pets and the subsequent ambush (DOH!). Ended up using all those insps I bought after my arse-kicking from Sherm earlier, and took down Uber Alles. We save the day and trash that beeyotch lab. So, summary: Positives: *Excellent map choices and spawns. No running back and forth (indicates testing was done). *Great NPCs (esp. Firecracker, who really makes the arc). *Challenge level for my lvl 29 was on the mark, except for Sherman (whom I wasn’t supposed to beat, anyway). *Excellent pacing. No plot holes. Nice twist with Sherman’s backstory. *Strong editing (didn’t see any mistakes) *Novel use of color-coded clues! *HUMOR! Tweaks: *Nothing major at all. Overall: 5/5. Allusions to the the Golden Age. Kid F the curmudgeon. Sherman’s drive to “prove” himself. The mishes are straightforward, the ethos is black and white. And, like the old school comics I recall from back in the day, it’s just freakin’ fun. It’s something of a well-used trope* (super clones). But, so what? We've all seen every plot in the book anyway (I know I steal my ideas). So, well-known don't matter, as long as it's a tale done well. This one is. It’s freshened up by merging the golden past with the present, using crusty, funny ol' of Kid F as your contact, and, finally, the key role of Sherman, and that nice little twist. All in all, the characters make it work. A great, fun arc. Play this if: You’re a fan of the JSA, or something of that nature (or, you just want to beat up Nazis). Don’t play if: You don’t like geezers throwing out good-natured insults using millennial stereotypes. Honestly, the "insults" say more about Kid F than anything else. That’s it for the nonce. Happy Holidays, all! Crane

Between Darmian’s megaarc (which features an award-winning segment), and what’s posted in my sig, below, there’s nearly 100 missions, each part of larger storylines.

If you search for SFMA, you should find story focused mission arcs. Not sure all are flagged as such, but I’ve found quite a few that way.

You can also pick up the exploration badges for a quick and easy 5 merits.

Having played Discount Ninja into the 20s, then Gunbone (DM/DP) up to 29, I think it may be time for Oprah (or perhaps Opera?) Windfury (I imagine some combo of sonic/storm).

First DFB group I ran with: 3 TA toons. Every mob was: “Flash! A-aaaaaa, we’ll blind every one of you!” Started timing those as we went along, but everything got flashed, glued, gassed and thwipped to kingdom come.

Finally found it. I was simulating intercepted radio comms via earpiece in a Boss Completed text box. It did not like me exceeding 300 characters, even though it was all formatting (basically carriage returns to indicate transmissions between 2 entities). Anyhoo, fixed (and BEWARE!)

I have no idea what this means. Happened after I completed the 4th mish and pressed "save & test." Have tried deleting entire mishes, this still comes up, regardless of which mishes I delete or keep. So I cannot even locate where the problem is.

Didn't come up until I had finished work on Mish 4 of a new arc. Checked all my text. Two exceeded due to formatting, so I brought them back within limits. No luck. After that, I made a new save file, then deleted the new mish to see troubleshoot error location. Same message with all my remaining mishes, even though I had previously playtested them, and they were fine. Makes no sense.

Why I picked it: Title, level range; intrigued by use of the Legacy Chain; only 17 reviews, so definitely “under the radar” What I ran it with: Discount Ninja! (Heroic Technology Blaster) Powersets: Archery/Ninja Training (+Fighting) Part 1: Harvest Okay, so Kenny the Discount Ninja is on the case! And who do we find as our contact? FREITAG! (Yaaaaaas! [I used this guy in my own Ordinary People storyline]). 10 million points. 5 Stars. 4 buckets of Hami goo….etc. Title is ominous. But then, this is the Vahz, so… My send off is “I’ll do my best to find the missing heroes.” I think “I’ll do my best” is fine, unless, for some reason we can assume Freitag doesn’t know what we meant by that. (I’ll do my best! To what? Ummm...make a sandwich…?) Scenario is to find missing low-level heroes in AP Swers (specifically, Sewer Junction J48B [nice touch]). Rescue any who need help, and find out who’s sending them to their impending doom. Nice job of highlighting (color-coding) tasks and key info. And...it’s a sewer map:-) All four objectives pop at once, so I can approach them in whatever fashion I deem fit. Here they are: Nothing wrong with doing it this way, but this approach can be cluttered. Take out a pair of spawns, then glowie (a fridge). Some awkward verbiage here: “Recovering contents inside” (I think...I just forgot what I read). “Recovering contents” would be fine. And we have the remains of a dead hero, plus a clue. Looks like the Vahz have plans for these puppies. Map is a one-way ticket with no curves. Not a bad idea. More glowies (body bags). Find clue referring to experimentation process failing. Vahz trying to fuse heroes with Eidolons, appears. Yeeouch! Forgot about that toxic damage. Kenny gets pounded somewhat, but survives. Another fridge, another set of remains. Also free hero named Novastorm, who reveals his contact, Martha Summers. Last room boss defeated, and 3 glowies all there, so that was nice. At this point, my questions are: Why do I need to recover that many hero remains as mish objectives? Feel like you get one, get the clue, then the remaining fridges can simply be extra (not mandatory objectives). What do the Vahz hope to gain from splicing heroes with Eidolons? I mean, I can guess, but that’s where the mystery leads. Summary: Map is a straight shot. No running back and forth for anything. Sparsely populated, however (which is typical when you run on default, as I am). Note: Still from awkward verbiage, ex: “Find clues as to what the Vahzilok are up to,” can simply be “Find Clues.” 2. Summer Goes to Fall First thing, the title. “Summer Goes to Fall.” Obviously related to Martha Summers? Attempt to be clever, but it doesn’t work well here. Freitag has decided we have enough to arrest Martha Summers. I think I’d prefer, “Bring in for questioning,” but let’s assume he’s got actual evidence I ain’t seen. Besides, Kenny Ninja don’t care! Office map, security force (i.e., cops) Bringing in Summers, while looking for clues as to why she’d turn rogue (mind control anyone?) [my guess] Well...that was wrong. First clue sez Doc Summers has inoperable/incurable cancer. So, naturally, have to turn to other methods, right? Like carving up heroes. 2nd clue indicates that Summers formed connections with rich clients, then diagnosed them all with the same cancer, thus using them to foot the bill for her own research with the Vahz. (very nice) The tycoons formed “The Lazarus Syndicate.” Now, TECHNICALLY, they’re not dead, so...what up with that name?:-) Clue 3: about the money. Ah, okay. So Clue #4: Summers has made a deal with Dr. V: Summary: Summers is arrested. Clues present a bit of a twist now. Good. Freitag explains that Summers and tycoons would be resurrected as Eidolons. I didn’t make that connection (because I’m Kenny, and I’m stupid). 3: Reanimation So, onward and upward. Looks like one of the Tycoons has arrived. I’ve got to go to junction L66. Again, feel like objectives are cluttered: A boss tries to reason with me that what they’re doing is good for mankind. I shot him in the face, because that’s what heroes do when faced with philosophical conundrums. The new Eidolon is an “Inferno Eidolon.” Interesting. Mission ran straightforward and simple. By the end, we find out what we suspected. Vahz want to easily transfer superpowers to their Eidolons. Though, really, that toxic damage is already rough. So, what is gained, I ask ye? Then again, if they combine the different damage types with their toxics, THEN we got a real problem. On to 4: Jailbreak So I destroyed one of the 3 prototype Eids. Also blew up their renaimation canister thingies. Freitag is worried about the ones I missed (fret not, you ninny--I got more arrows). Also: the procedure Summers promised to heal made Dupois ill. SHE LIED! SHE LIED! (surprised?) So now a breakout of Summers from the PPD. Off we go! 5 minutes later: Yes. It's a short mish, but features a “Cortex Eidolon.” Nice costume. Also with unique powers (for an Eid, anyway). 5: Born Again (Finale) So, time to take it all down. Again, awkward writing here on send off: So, Freitag says, “You! Go do that!” and player responds with “I will go do that.” A simple, “I’m on it!” would do here. (at this point, I worry that I am criticizing a second language speaker--if so, my apologies). Crey type lab map. Okay the Cryo Eidlon handed me my bacon. Slowed, and teh embalmed belched acid all over me, and fwomp, down I went. It is at this point I realize I have not been running either of my fighting defense toggles for the entire arc.:-) Okay, so took Summers down quick, and guess what? SHE REZZED! LIKE LAZARUS!:-) Enjoyed the little fight at the end. Positives: *Did not find any typos or grammatical errors. *Mechanically, spawns were well placed. I was always moving forward. *Liked the costumes of the custom Eidolons. *Loved seeing Freitag! (personal pref there) *No plot holes. The baddie’s scheme is logical (from their point of view). *The Boss dialogues were all uniformly interesting. Recommendations/Tweaks: *The awkward usage. It happens enough that it’s noticeable. It starts to feel strange, almost robotic. *Spread out the objectives by having some of them spawn in a chain/sequence. Now, there’s a caveat to this one. The way it’s presented is fine. It’s clear. I know what I’m supposed to do. But my objective screen is a bit loaded, and -- my opinion -- you get a better sense of progression when you accomplish A and B, then C pops up. *Related: Not sure we needed multiple fridge clues in first mish. One of them establishes the main idea. *Not one ambush. I think it could use one somewhere to keep the player on their toes. Might also throw in an extra patrol, as well. *The custom Eidolons were great. But I feel like I should’ve seen multiples of them in a group, maybe some versions of them surrounding Summers in the boss fight. The Cryo one gave me the most trouble. Got slowed, and couldn’t bail out. *Oh--where was the Legacy Chain? Overall: Gets strong marks for plot, custom costumes, clean scripting, objective placement/spawn points (shows some testing). It just felt a tad bland at times, since my little squishy rolled through it pretty easily (well, save for a couple tense moments). So, factoring in my own personal biases with the objective strengths of the design, it's at least a 3, but not quite a 4. Let’s say 3.5/5. It’s competent, and not a waste of the player’s time. So, round it to a 4, then, if you wish.:-) Clean, competent, with a few nice touches here and there (and some glaringly weird verbiage).:-) Play this if: (1) You enjoy the Vahz and want to see a different spin. (2) You have a sub-20 toon and you’re looking for something different. Don’t play if: (1) You’re using your tricked-out 50+. It won’t challenge you at all. (2) You’re annoyed by awkward grammatical constructions.:-) That's all for now. Thanks to our designer, @coulomb for sharing their arc! Vaya Con Leche, Crane

True. The Shax is the shizzle.:-)

Just an alt, but interesting what happens when you activate War Mace with Undead Slaying Axe:

Or, the LA Lakers? (Pure villains if there ever were some):-)

Talk about Full Auto...ouch...