cranebump

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...

I keep waiting for "Dull Blades," the powerset that allows you to become a Rust Monster.

When Elude runs out in MLTF in the middle of fighting Wretch, you become a microwave burrito.

By the way, see my typos up there? Toldja.:-)

Why I picked it: The Title, and the fact it had no bosses. What I ran it with: Acrobattle! (Lvl 50 incarnate, and my "main" [if I actually have one]). Powersets: Staff/Ninjutsu/Leaping/Body Mastery This choice will affect my views of the arc, as you'll see, below. 1: And the contact is a furry...wagging tale...I am uncomfortable.:-) Spymaster Kartanian has noticed that I have issues with how Arachnos runs things. Well, duh. I’m not in charge (“SCREW THE SPIDERS!, er, yes, I agree”). Warns of timed mission So I have 45 minutes to find a Multiphasic Scanner, and scan my own blood (I think). Righty-o. Standard (crey) lab map PPD Awakened everywhere. Plow through them, then run the test. FInish up at 38 mins. And that was reading the clues. Plenty of time. End Clue gives you a little mish summary (like!). Also reveals that the testing machine put the instructions in my mind. Unfortunately, it didn’t also put a good Moscow Mule recipe, but I’ll leave. So, Kart the Kat looks through my results. I am (thankfully) lacking spores, nanites, transponders or any other bad stuff (though I do have 1/38th Alf DNA). (kidding) He’s happy with this. I have helped him with a new client. BUT WHAT ABOUT MEEEEEEEE, KARTY MCKARTSTER? 2: Checking into Council base. Grabbing codes. No timer (awwwwww….[not]). Grab encryption key, get the supply codes. And if I’m a Kheld, hold on to my butt (I am not, thankfully. Don’t want to end up on Seafood Combo #2 at Greasy McNeal’s Splendorium). Entry clue has objectives being close together. If they turn out that way, indicates the designer has tested well. Oh, Council caves. Must I always run into your walls? Uses soem distractor Glowies. Commander and terminal are together, as advertised (well done). Corporal Sonnek (wolf) commands. Well, till I smash his face with a stick. Exit: After getting these codes (and noting some NPC discussion about Striga), I am told I have a feeling Kart is “going to do something sneaky.” Indeed, mon frere? Wouldn’t have guessed:-) P.S. Ran into Void Seekers, so the warning to Kheld was apt, too. 3: Kart sez he wants to “test me.” See if I can get in, get out, no fuss, no muss. Oh, and plant bombs. At this point, I’m thinking, “Okay, so when’s the betrayal.” Or: “You’re going to point me at something once I ‘pass.’ Who or what will that be? Off to bomb-diddy-bomb-bomb. Mish particulars: 1 hour. Zone=IP. Arachnos shipment (oh, good, because they’re sooo understanding). So first customs, the Veauxhall Consortium. High class thugs/family types. Gather a clue, plus NPX VH dialogue reveals they’re double crossing the Spiders. I am blowing up a ship with them on it, though, so...bit of a flaw in de plan? Found the bombs. Small dynamite packages. Hard to spot, and not given a nav point after finding 3 of 4. (not a design issue--AE wants me to clear map, but I ain't doin it) Also destroyed “Out of place” supplies, gathering clues. VH perps were patrols wandering between Spider mobs. You get a faulty aggro, and it could get dicey quick. But I’ve got Ninjutsu secondary so I stealthed, as Kart wanted me to. The VH perps summoned thugs and had guns. Okay, so the VH had another plan for the ship, which my plan foiled. Whoever is behind everything is happy, though, because it messed up VH’s plans (and Arachnos). Someone is messing with everybody. Can’t help but think Kart’s “client” might just be Kart, but we’ll see. 4: Okay, so reason for the test all comes out (but not spoiling it). Also makes the previous mission make sense, and everything else. Last mish is a rescue, with some complications. Have to neutralize some nanites so my rescuee doesn’t get ‘sploded. I am raiding the Veauxhall, and extracting a Veauxhall (no spoilers here, though, as to why). Entry clue refers to place as “ritzy” (and yet, they’re still employing those same office architects).:-) Rescue goes without hitch. Bit of a gang fight ambush. Had to lead down multiple levels, though, so feels like a simple “free the hostage” would be just fine. ******************************* SUMMARY: Positives: *Did not find a single typo. Clean and clear *Mechanically solid. No weird spawns of glowies. Judicious use of patrols, ambush. The designer took time and care, and obviously tested the arc. 5/5 on that. *By the end, the story answers player questions elicited by previous missions (like, why I am doing a blood test?). *Introduced custom organization, Veauxhall, which is something of a Family/Hellions offshoot (kinda). Like they took the best of the Hells and gave them better gear, training, nice haircuts and a suit.:-) The customs have a complete writeup. *No Bosses, or AVs or anything, but this was advertised in the mission description. Which leads me to my one recommendation: Tweaks: *Mechanically, the Escort would be better as a simple Rescue, esp. considering what happens just after. The perp walk is a bit lengthy on that map. I don't think the mish loses anything with this change. *THE BIG TAKEAWAY: Because it lacks Bosses, AV’s, etc., this arc works best if placed solidly in a character’s early career (especially considering the big reveal at the end). It would work fine in the 20s, and could even work well in the 10-19 range. This would make the bad guys more challenging, bosses or not. It is also well-suited to its clearly stated audience, “Robin Hood” type villains (or Rogues--my character’s a vigilante). Finally, there are several additional arcs in the “Espionage” series. Therefore, linking them by level progression would allow forward progress for the character, ramp up the challenges=, and allow the story to deepen as you go. I feel like this is the designer's intent, but maybe they didn't want to level-limit so as to gather a larger audience. I do feel the lower lvl range is where this arc belongs, though. Overall: 4/5 It’s solid, solid, solid. Obviously part of a larger story, so retroactively could be a 5, if placed in (what I feel is) its correct context of low-level, early-career play. It is clearly presented, edited, playtested, has some twistiness, and is unusual in that is "bossless." Again, SOLID. Play this arc if: You want to add some historical spice to a new toon’s personal journey (suggest playing this with a character in the 15-20 range). Don’t play if: you want traditional bosses. It doesn’t have any. I’d also avoid playing it with any toon higher than lvl 20, not because it’s not well done (it is), but because of reasons already explained, above.

Thought I'd provide some semi-regular reviews of some of the SFMA goodness we have out there. We all know about the Dev's Choice selections (aka "Anky's personal trophy shelf.:-) But there are plenty of other stories out there hovering WAY under the radar. Assuming I can sustain any pace at all (I get to play once/week, on average), I would like to highlight some of these other arcs. Before that, though, a bit of explanation on my process: (1) I Take notes on doc while I play. This is mainly so I can remember what the hell happened (I am old).:-) The notes include observations, reactions, jokes (lame and otherwise), and sometimes tweaks and fixes (carriage return, Darmian).:-) I am including them with my review. These things can sometimes be lengthy (ask Darmian):-). So, if you just want the skinny, scroll on down to the SUMMARY at the bottom. (2) I'm not super hard to please. I like all sorts of stories. That said, my focus is on: Writing (the mechanics): mainly, is it clean and clear. Man, do I always have typos in my own stuff. So, those don't bother me much, unless they're pervasive (which indicates a lack of replay/editing/effort). So I won't get too much in the weeds on that. The clarity part, though? Yeah, that's a big one. Confusing the audience is a no-no. So I will point out where I fall short of understanding where you're going (note that this could also happen because I missed something). I'll try to provide corrections, provided I catch anything major. AE "Competence": I don't know what else to call it, but basically, use of the engine in such a way that doesn't cause undue player frustration. I know AE has its funkiness. You can run a mish 10 times, then on the 11th, something spawns in a weird place, and suddenly, players are running in circles (guilty here, more than once). Since I also script (and tend to work faster than I should), I get it when this happens. So, what I'm looking at here is pervasive evidence of a lack playtesting. Basically, you can tell when someone knows what they're doing (or knows enough). Again, this is pervasive evidence. Hiccups here and there are expected. Again, I've committed every sin I'm looking for, so I feel like I can tell when it's just "Well, that's AE," and "this person didn't bother to run this more than once or twice." That is my hope at least. Finally, STORY: I'm there to experience the world you've created. You do your job well, the audience will go wherever you want to lead them. As far as a touchstone, my basic questions here are, "Did I enjoy it?" and "How does this compare to the average mission in the game itself?" Strong characters. Humor. That inevitable twist. The "ah-ha!" moments you create. That's the stuff I dig. With that in mind, here's the first attempt at this (below). Hope it's helpful, or at least entertaining. Vaya Con Frijoles, Crane

Yeah, I've been working this premise for several arcs, which I'm hoping to round to a finish here soon. I have to work in the Menders, for one thing. (need more slots!)

I think the Frostfire map is there. Other than that, wouldn’t know. My Christmas theme element is using Visit from St. Nick as a narrative feature.

Arc ID: 34507 Arc Name: A visit from Stanley (and his good friend, Jack) Author: cranebump3 Number of Missions: 3 Description:It’s the night before Xmas, and under skies dark, you're searching for baddies all through Perez Park. When who should appear in your way on that night? A youngster named Stan, who’s in a great plight. Please look for: 3 destructible objects. The phrase about no pineapple on pizza Other errors I ain't found. Thanks in advance, E

Submitted for your approval: Arc ID: 34507 Arc Name: A visit from Stanley (and his good friend, Jack) Author: cranebump3 Number of Missions: 3 Description: It’s the night before Xmas, and under skies dark, you're searching for baddies all through Perez Park. When who should appear in your way on that night? A youngster named Stan, who’s in a great plight.

I think the consequences or the original demise remain if "reemerged" States is an unlockable contact in late game, and becomes a gateway to new stories. I'm hoping HC doesn't get locked into Battalion as the next move, mainly because (a) the name is stupid, for an overarching, existential threat, and (2) there's not going to be much in the way of surprises, if they use what we already know (i.e., Battalion and the connection with Khelds). Bear in mind, I'm not saying we'd have to bring States back (though I wouldn't mind). I just think the Dev conflation barrier is now non-existent, and I think it can be done without messing with the original consequences, if it is tacked on to what comes after. For the record, I didn't have any issues with the WWD storyline. Was what it was. Did think Wade was a bit of a weird choice, though.

This is an interesting idea, and I'd be for it. I am assuming, though, that these new heroes would not stand in for the old icons (except maybe as trainers?). On that: (1) None of the past stable of iconic heroes belongs to a current HC dev, right? So, isn't the "political" aspect of dev/hero conflation effectively non-existent, since a new player isn't going to connect States with JE? (2) New players aren't going to make any connections with old Devs, anyway, so bringing back Statesman officially should be a non-issue, right? (3) On the other hand, if the game runs fine with him dead, and we have that SSA where we watch him die, then why bother doing anything with him? (though, tbh, I much prefer Statesman to Ms. Liberty). Speaking of: (4) If Statesman were to reemerge, wouldn't a good place for him be in PI, in place of Castle? And, once placed, maybe create a new, high-level TF using him?

Hoodwink? Namnibor? Ooohhh... there’s the next toon: Hoodwink Namnibor! (AT/pwr set suggestions?) 🙂

I will definitely have an entry. Just have to shake a leg and get it created. Great idea, by the way.