UtRR's: The Odyssey of Joshua Jones CONTINUES [AUG '22 update--now with MORE SANDALS!]

[cranebump]

Been thinking about running a character up using nothing but AE for awhile. Today seemed as good a day as any to start. I figure I'll have quit the character history to share when this is done. So, without any further ado, may I introduce:

Josh Jones. Your service. Maybe...

 

 

No character bio. His experiences ARE his bio (other than picking up a gun and going out to do stuff. For now he's just: Guy with a gun (AR/WP; planning on grabbing Fighting so I can shoot and sock’em)

And so we begin...

 

After some rooting about, I find this:

First Mish:

Great little mish! I get TP’ed in accidentally (instead of Citadel). Break 3 devices, push a glowie, take out some floating electrical anomalies. Good start. (sorry, no pics; brain fartage)

 

By the way, Cit's insides look like an Arachnos facility. Who knew?

 

Anyhoo, gets us to lvl 2! 

Verdict: 5/5. Straightforward, and a nice way to begin if you’re doing what I’m doing.

 

Missions searching, annnnd...

THIS little gem is next:

As Josh is not smart, this seems a logical next step. Cit=body. This one=mind. Spirit next? Hell no (maybe?).

 

OFF WE GO!
 

Right off the bat, I am loving the dialogue:

Orc? (and I agree with you, vato)

 

Yes, Orc. And Elves, too. Gun trumps arrows, cherie.

 

Yes, that’s me taking (another) rock to the face. Orcs are bruisers. But...gun trumps rock.

 

Shiny costumes. The designer must be from Miami.

 

Ah--HERE’s a nugget:

Goat girl...oookay...gun trumps...goatage?

 

Freed my first pedant. Do I get a thank you? Sort of:

Ah, so you thank me with advice. Nice...bite me, Arthur...Gun trumps...whatever this is. Damnit! I can't shoot you! (sigh)

 

The GK is BIG, Gnome-sayin’? (hehehehe…{sigh})

 

I see you over there, horse (how can I miss you...those TOGS!)

 

And Confucius gets to float. Soooo jelly...

 

You should categorically not be lying down on the job, Immanuel.

 

Find the philo’s, find the great books, now BOSS!:

Oh, man. With PLEASURE!

 

So I fumble the boss picture. Exited, and where is it? Josh doesn't know. He's Jush.

 

FYI: Ayn has dark powers (of course).

 

Verdict: I LOVED this little mish. Change of pace. Funny. And I got to smash Ayn “I just made some sh*t up” Rand.  5/5

 

And Lvl 3!

 

Call that the Prologue. More to come!

Edited August 24, 2022 by cranebump

[cranebump]

Alright one more for today:

 

So, now we move on to longer stuff. I find a lvl 5-10 by a great designer:

No, that’s not a club, and yes, I’m happy to see you.:-)

 

Mish 1:

Scenario: Pocket D is closed. Snaptooth is up to something. HE”S KEEPING US FROM PARTYING (and therefore, must die)

 

Off to Salamanca to check the sit.

 

Ah, spirits about (so to speak), so my trek through body, mind and now this is complete. I WIN! (oh, I still have to run the mish? okay…)

Oh, Rascal. Must you crib from the Scottish play?

 

KB is sooo nice when you’re a squishy lowbie.

 

FYI: Forgot to mention I am running at +50% XP to offset any nerfs from running mishes in AE. Or maybe I am just ‘cuz. Josh doesn’t know why he does what he does.

 

Well, here’s something I don’t do much in HC these days:

Yes, I’m tired! And hurt! Deal with it!

 

Uh-oh…

 

Dude...you’re about to throw something at me.

 

Need to work on your evil laughter, bro.

 

Mish 2:

Sister Psyche makes an appearance. Here, she reveals the insidious power that makes her, indeed, the most dangerous of all psychics:

Damnit, I will NOT relive junior prom! Some people CHOOSE to go stag, okay?

 

Caves, but the big, good kind. Another of Croatoa’s finest makes an appearance:

Really, War Witch? You passed on spam and sardines?

 

You again! Good. I HATE cauldrons! I used not to, but now I do!

 

Who knew Rascals were so edgy?

 

Why, thank you, Gonads. I mean, Ganymede. It was all me, by the way. War Witch...well, she did THIS a lot. (nice job standing there, WW).

 

Quick hit and run. Freed 5 folks, and off we went. And WW DID help. Provided I led the perps to her. She’s efficient that way.

 

Mish 3

So, last mish clue from Gonads tells me this:

Off we go to scratch an itch...sporta… MY MISSION, MY JOKES, DAMNIT!

 

NOTE: Titles in this arc are interesting. They all begin with a time indicator, like “Later…,” “Soon,” and so on:

Trying to figure out if this is some sort of subtle clue, or if @TakeOne is just messing with me (He doesn’t approve of me killing off signature NPCs in my arcs, so this MIGHT be his way of...okay, kidding...but I AM wondering about the reasoning behind this).

 

The burning Hellion lair map. Excellent!

This what happens when you don’t completely rinse that hair dye.

 

See, this sorta feels like a bad sign…

 

Okay this place is seriously empty, which leads me to believe I’m gonna get a big ambush/patrol spawn and then have to run like hell to get out. Remember: it’s not paranoia when everyone is out to get you.

SEE?

 

Wailers show up. I have to lead Scratch out.I also have to defeat the “Blue Meanie” to get out. Interesting, as “Blue Meanie” is my pet name for my...gun…

Well...he certainly talks mean…

 

Receive clue sending us to Wailerville, aka Golden Giza for spell to fix DJ Zero. 

 

NOTE: Designer keeps clues to one a mish, which makes following the thread easier. Which I could do that. Well, no I don’t, but it’s a nice touch. I appreciate the brevity!

 

And that’s that! 

 

Verdict: 5/5 We end up just short of lvl 4. Mish is simple, direct. Makes use of in-game NPCs and baddies. Works VERY well for this level range. Professionally created and presented. 

 

Time for Josh to get that smidgen of bar (yeah, I’m gonna cheat and street sweep--I’m 2 XP’s short) and take a rest.

 

Adios, for the nonce,

Crane

 

[cranebump]

The saga continues! Once again, the intrepid (aka "clueless") Joshua Jones take on  the various (and carefully selected) terrors of AE. What will his odyssey reveal today? (maybe...SATAN?) [apologies to Dana Carvey]

 

First, the obligatory pose:

Time to “get some!”

 

Ever wonder where Warwolves come from. I haven’t! Until now…

I’m a whole LEVEL 4, so this should be interesting (packing extra butt creme).

 

My contact is...so white (I’ll bet he likes lawn boys and barbecues).

 

FYI: Contact is named Ashley McKnight. Buuuuut…

Obviously, Ash has moved to a colder clime. Like...Jupiter… (that does it--you're now Ashley "Mek"Knight).:-)

 

I like how she thinks I’m busy...oh, Ash, you’re such a card. (keep your helm on--I’m going)

 

Me vs. Council. In this base. At my level. What could possibly go wrong?

 

Search 4 of these? Sure. Where are the drawers?

 

NOTE: One thing I discover early on is that Josh is a slow reader. It takes him a looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong time to “sift through papers.” Hell, he’s not even reading. He’s just sorting! (better get that GED--fast!)

 

My buckshot trumps your buckshot, Adolf.

 

Yeah, I got company, but do I sift faster? No...no, I do not…

 

Mish done. Clue found (FINALLY! Paper cuts from sifting.

Not so secret now, are they? Hmmm…”pre-dating…” Man, that would’ve saved me so many first-date dinners…

 

Mish 2:

NOTE: Designer uses brackets for action:

Color coding or italics might work better for this. In fact, all the text is in base white so far. I’d consider highlighting some things in bf or orange (why orange? No reason. Josh likes his Vitamin C).

 

So, I’m going back in time for this one. And not, like, a few minutes, so I can rescue my burnt toast. What does Josh think of this?:

Oh, Ash...you just don’t know me, do you? I’m buying ALL the horse racing results!

 

SCRIPTING NOTE:

Bit awkward with “as you walk around in the past.” Doesn’t feel conversational. Maybe just: “...much. It is in the past, after all.” Or “We can’t send you any help, since you’re time traveling.” Or: “Day-am, Josh! You one hunky-ass beeyotch!” (like that...yeah…)

 

Mission entry:

A+ for patrol dialogue!:-)

 

Nazis...I hate these guys...

Dude, a grenade launcher is a RANGED weapon!

 

I cast FIST FTW!

 

Jesus Kreis, it’s you!

 

Obviously, my presence here negates your supposition…and OW!

 

COMPLETE! End up digging up some data about “Offworld,” the place where Warwolves come from, I assume? Either that, or it’s a really fancy name for a doghouse.

 

NOTE: Intriguiing development. Wolves are aliens maybe? Looking forward to the rest. After my spam & sardine sammie...yummmmmmm...

 

Mish 3:

So, things get alien, but Supernatural-y, since I’m off to find the “Alpha” dog (no, really...the original). I borrow Sam & Dean;s car...okay, I don’t. But wouldn’t it be great if I could? (They don’t need it. They’re dead.)

 

Dude, I AM the source…

 

2 bars from level 5! WOOT! Soon, I’ll be slightly less “vincible!”

 

MUSING: All these Council around, I keep thinking a PI radio team is going to pop up, any second...

 

A DING for the ding-a-ling!

 

And I find the Alpha:

Your name is...Jimmy?

 

Mish 4, Finale:

Pet peeve time:

Nobody speaks in semicolons. See Vonnegut’s verbiage on these things. (hint: they’re 99% useless; 100% if you’re emulating dialogue). Rant complete. Moving on.

 

So time to take down the leader. I have Jimbo as an optional ally. Now, being LEVEL 5 do I need him? 

Mayyyyybe…

 

NOTE: Gotta love getting hit in the face with slabs of stone (or not...owwwww…)

 

I think you mean, “Intruderrrrrrrsssss!” (thunk)

 

See what I mean about rocks to the face? (pant, pant)

 

Well, see, Jim, what he means by that is you like deserts!

 

Trainer: “Okay, boys, see--THIS is how you get back up after buckshot. Got that? Test tomorrow!

 

Anybody got any Windex? Anybody…?

 

You’re talking to Jimmy, right?...Jimmy, wanna take this one?

 

A few well placed bullets and a Sands of Mu jousting flyby (plus Jimy did **something** I guess), we are WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!

 

So...we end up making it possible for Jimmy to start a new life (maybe ditch the chains and buy a dinner jacket.). And LEVEL F’IN! FIVE! BWAHAHAHAHAHA...aheam...yeah…

 

SUMMARY: About a 4-star arc. It’s clean. Direct. Spawns really well. Worked at my low level. Has some customs and a twist on the Warwolves. Enjoyed fighting on the catwalks on that last map!

 

Tweaks: NO SEMICOLONS! EVARRRRRRR!:-)

• Maybe use some colored text from time to time to indicate action or important text. 
• Actually use Ashley McKnight as your contact (rather than Ashley “Mek-Knight”)
• Nice, tight arc. I would try this designer’s other work.

 

Did I mention…? LEVEL 5 BEEEEYOTCHES!

 

That’s it for now, folks. Happy Spring, Easter, Bratwurst Day (Yes, it was a thing for us this weekend--we’re German, so everyday is Brat day?).

 

I’m OWT!

 

Crane

 

Edited April 5, 2021 by cranebump

[cranebump]

From high atop AP AE (FYI), It’s M-E: Joshua Jones!

Time for some more Architect ACTION! (nnnnn….nnnnn….nnnnnn….okay my tongue is tired from that echoing sound).

 

Stats recap:

Ol’ Josh is a high-flyin’ LEVEL 5!

Running Sent (AR/WP).

I now have LR TP! (Can’t wait to jump to other zones with their AE’s). Err….right….

 

Today’s selection:

Hmmm….did you say ANNNNY LEVEL? We’ll just see about that!

 

Mish 1:

First off, kudos for being a Dick. Er, I mean, REFERRING to P.K. Dick (hmmmmm...next toon name? But hey-how about you colorize that title, bruh? Josh Sez: Cosmetics are important.

 

So, I don’t always do this, but inquiring minds wanted to know about my contact:

“Jack Andrews” my ass. He’s a FAAAAAAKE! [Josh sez: Howz about some info on this person?]

 

FYI: LOVE the perp name: Lobotovox. Hmmm….mind/poison? Sounds like fun! (and thank God it’s not “Enemavox, the Sonic Colonic”).

 

First thing: I rescue this person...bot...thing...Actually, they’re REALLY nice:

I light your fire, don’t I, Exajoule? Or electricity. Whatever! I LIGHT IT!

 

So, I FIRE AWAY, but what good does it do?

Look out! It’s got a ROCK! (what am I, chopped liver?)

 

So, I click on el-glowie, and I get this:

What am I doing here? Hacking? Examining? (shudder) Fondling? [Josh sez: Interaction text is dreamy! Add some]

 

Speaking of clues:

Love the description. Hate the typos! They’re the devil! [Josh sez: It’s is its, bruh]

 

Okay, so I AM fondling. I mean, it’s my choice, ain’t it? (ahhhhh….such...cool, sexy buttons…)

 

So, we get an end clue, and I get jumped by Clockwork. Well, I woulda, but when you’re running like the wind as only JJ can, well, no one catches you. Not even Synapse! (he didn’t hear that, did he? Good)

 

NOTE: Clean scripting. Nice sequencing. No backtracking. But needs interact text on the glowies, mate.

 

Mish 2:

So, we find out that Jack Andrews and Exajoule have worked together before. Coolio. I use my own toons in my arcs, too.:-) Presence of Clocks in Arachnos facility is concerning. Well, for Jack. Not me, because I’m me.

 

My next task:

Oh, yeah! I’m gonna get me someone’s lunch money! 

 

No Hall Pass? For shame! Take that!

 

I DING! Lvl 6. Exajoule dings this:

What perps are YOU fighting, ‘cuz I didn’t get no sammie in the face.

 

And our boss appears:

Let’s do this! Hey...where are you going?

 

Lobo runs away. I have no holds. Out the door they go, with me spraying bullets. What does Exajoule do? Beats up the blue minions then complains I left them behind. D’oh!

 

NOTE: Great job of patrol spawns on trek back up the map.

 

Mish 3:

So, we find out that Lobo is planning on turning itself into an army, like a bunch of OMACs, I presume. Jack has some reinforcements. He doesn’t mind that I failed, because I’m me.

 

Wait a second…

 

And onward to:

One of my least favorite maps...sigh. [Josh Sez: This is cool. I’m just slow and weak.]

 

So, my nav:

Great! Now, I don’t remember placing the first scanner, but who knows? I did eat those special brownies before the mish started.

 

So, the perps are typical Praeties, but with custom names and info. However, they appear to have the same powersets as a typical clock. [Josh sez: Might be more intriguing if the powersets were custom, otherwise, all perps are just one big clue].

 

NOTE: Once again, glowie has no interaction text.

 

Prepare to feel my BRAWL, evil-doer! (or rather, here comes my d20!)

 

So, I confront the “Sys Admin,” who summons bots AND “reprograms” Exajoule.

Uh-oh…

 

Gets dicey but I take down Sys, then joust some with the tanky Exajoule before getting out alive (thank you Insps).

 

NOTE: Nice scripting and traitoring! Didn’t expect it.

 

Mish 4:

So intro text:

Hey! Josh is like, a poet or something! (what did I mean by this? did I say it? Who are I?)

 

First off: Welcome to Patrol Ville:

Eenie...meenie...minee...okay I lost count…

 

Jack is a bubbler! Booyah!

 

We take down the mainframes, then I sprint for the exit. You’re on your own, Jack!

 

Mish 5:

So, it’s down to taking out Lobo. I get warned the fight is tough. “Call on friends.”

 

Unfortunately, Josh has no friends (sniff).

 

What he does have is AH, and now this:

Say hello to my little (and slightly bigger) friends.

 

And what is Lobo’s preferred haunt? Well…

...it’s actually a haunt. [Josh asks: Do androids dream of electric ghosts? {Josh answers: They do here.}]

 

So, Exajoule is around here somewhere. Will I need her? Magic 8-call sez:

Hell, yes, you idiot!

 

And in we go:

Now, now-don’t be so hard on yourself. Let ME do that.

 

NOTE: Lobo’s death text=”Ear shattering dialup screech.” Heh. Nice.

 

SUMMARY:

 

Strengths:

• Scripting is near flawless. A variety of maps. Custom boss and allies. Custom boss might be a LOT tougher if it weren’t scaled down to my lowbie level. Easy to follow storyline.
• Very good use of patrols.
• Lobo=an interesting boss
• Great use of traitor mechanics (scripting and sequence).
• Well-balanced. I ran it at lvl 5!

 

Tweaks: 

• Jack Andrews needs a bio (and by that, I don’t mean to pee--who is this guy?)
• Interact text on glowies is universally missing.
• Map choices: Not sure about the graveyard at the end. Feels incongruous.
• Don’t really need the second “Find Mission Exit,” (Mish 4) as it does not grant any new info. However: This might run much differently with a team.
• Mission titles: I’d put them in color. 
• Reworked Clocks: They’re the same Praetorian Clocks we all now, but with different names. If they’re actually different, they should have soem customization. I think you can create their skin using the costume maker, rather than copying the base and renaming.

 

Overall: 4/5 . It’s well-crafted. Could be placed right into the game world, since it uses familiar foes.

 

Play this if: You enjoy a standard, straight-forward arc.

Don’t play if: You dislike Clocks (I find the standard foes a bit boring, tbh).

 

'Til next time, bruhs and other bruhs.

Crane

 

[cranebump]

You (didn't) ask for it! It's finally here!

 

The Return of Joshua “I’m a Badass” (sorta, or maybe not) Jones!

Eee-hee-hee!

 

He’s back folks. And ready for some lowbie action! ‘Cause he’s a lowbie! Yeah...and stuff.

 

Today’s selection:

As opposed to Snakes on a mutha****in’ plane. I dig.

 

Our contact: LB Agent Hahn:

Pointy hat - check. Appropriate color scheme - check. Purple face - che...wait a minute. You got any cream for that, man?

 

M1: 

Someone with real power? Hang on, lemme see if Pos it available. Pretty sure, I...oh...you mean me…{heh}

 

My task: take down the snake in charge. Then BECOME the snake in charge!...or not?

 

Upon entry - echoes of gunfire! My kind of mish! Guess why?

Ding! You win.

 

So naturally I start with fists...derrrr…

 

You got it, sweet cheeks! Er...sir…

 

Ssssorry to hear that. Perhapsssss I can assssissst…

 

Okay, when I said “assssissst” I didn’t know it meant ASSSSSSISSSSST!

(dat’s a lotta dudes)

 

Thankfully I’ve got help. Check out the LB dance moves! I’m inspired as all get out!

 

Hmmm...better be on the look out for the upgrade… “Business Casual Man.” Or maybe…

 

...but, of course…

 

NOTE: The captors are named. Interesting touch. Some have names like “Transe” and “Dase.” Josh hates big words! And words where S’s are used for other letters! Shoot them!:-)

 

• So, I lose one of my LB pards (the lovely lady). End up facing off against more captors, with different types of captives. Gotta say, all that poison and stuff hurts!
• I save someone named Devon Ophir, which Josh would know is a lot like ophidian - if he hadn’t dropped out of 5th grade. Find another captive, Arun Neelam.
• Then I get this weird map glitch (??):

I’ve been transported! To the land of milk and...never mind...more snakes.

 

End up taking on Mesmer (in snake, Messssss [I’ll suck out your mind, bro!] merrrr. My male LB companion survives, obviously due to his entitled status.

 

End clue sez:

Well, okay, but I DID figure that out on my own. I’m SMART! I can do things!

 

Speaking of:

End clue matches the mish clue. Unless there’s a reason to differentiate (later on maybe), I don’t think we need C1-1.

 

MISH 2:

Now off to find “hard to catch - easy to bribe” Mongoose (nice touch). We get dropped into Mercy for this one.

 

I run straight into law enforcement.

Hey...that’s one half MY line, bro…

 

So you can count...well done. Hey - any openings in Longbow? I think I might qualify.

 

MISH 3:

Jesus, Hahn, do I have to do EVERYTHING?

 

Mainly a gather info mish, but:

What am I supposed to do with the Base Leader? Since you ain’t sayin’, I choose the tango!

 

These things:

Sooo glad they don’t hatch in AE.

 

Then again, maybe they do. And they’re mixed with spider eggs! (nor really, but see that dude back there? BOO!)

 

At this point, I’m relieved to see Arachnos, becaese (1) they don’t spew nasty poison, and (2) they don’t self heal right as I get them down to a sliver of health.

 

I know you said, “Capture” snake eggs, but it’s so much easier if I just break them, ‘k?

 

Well this can’t be good…

 

Hmmm...repurposing snakes as power cables. INSSSIDIOUSSSS!

 

Under the heading “happy accident:”

I'll take care of this. You just dangle there.

 

Countered by “not quite so happy accident:”

Seriously...a fence?

 

All done!

 

NOTE: Excellent placement of spawns. Everything was right there in one room.

 

Found a typo:

“Brought”

 

Clues say an Arachnos Flyer involved. HURRAH! I’ve been needing some new wheels! Or...wings...whatevs…

Well, when you’re as dumb as Josh, it has some advantages.:-)

 

MISH 4:

Well...since you ASKED. But I want Milky Ways. The special kinds, from holidays and such. Get with it!

 

NOTE: I like the “Accept” texts (I will. I can.) Make me feel all businesslike and shit.

 

Okay, NOBODY invited Ghost Widow.

 

Hmmmm now where could that flight log BE…?

🙂

 

Log spawned on the first flyer I found. Easy peazy. Or rather, peassssssssy.

 

MISH 5:

Wha…? Well, why didn’t we START here, Hahn!

 

Okay, I’ve had this formatting error happen to me before, too:

You actually have to type out the word “percent,” or you’ll get this (which I’m calling perssssssssssent, for obvious reasons):-)

 

Entry popup tells me I’m in a snake cave. Good thing, ‘cause I thought this was Barbados.:-)

 

This sure looks like a pile of not active glowies. Now that I figured out I had my screen settings on dim, I should be able to see them better (derrrrrrrrr[x2]).

 

Found Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, and we’re off!

 

‘Goose and I take down “the greatest of all snakes” before ambush hits. Then we’re off to get some shawarma.

 

SUMMARY: A nice addition to the Snakes catalogue. Fits in well in CoV, with enemy/location selections. My lowbie was appropriately challenged.

 

Strengths:

• Strong spawn placement. Use of custom names for snake captors. Succinct Accept text (I can. I will. I must. I...m AWESOME).
• Only found one measly typo (and one big formatting thing). Easy fixes.
• Fast paced. Great use of the original snake maps.

 

Tweaks:

• The above typos/formatting.
• Not much personality to the contact (unless being super obvious and direct is a personality trait).
• No surprises anywhere, but, at this level, most surprises are nasty, so…
• MISH 5 title: I'm not sure how the title fits. Maybe I missed the obvious. It IS Josh, you know.
• TO THINK ABOUT: Maybe some indication of why I was immune to snake control, and how that could be harvested by LB as an antidote. But that may be a follow up arc?

 

Play if: You want to revisit the Snakies, but with a twist.

Don’t play if: Snakes...why did it have to be snakes?

ANNNNND...Josh made it to Level 8! BOOYAH, BEEYOATCHERINOS!

 

Snakefully Yours,

Crane

[cranebump]

Okay, so it's been since, like OCT 2021 or something, but I'll be returning to Josh's Odyssey. Going to transfer him from his original shard and bring him over to Torch. Likely put him in The Long Riders, then do from there. I'll have something up this week, fer sure. 

[cranebump]

Dude in background is like: Where he been? I dunno where he been.

Other guy's like: .......(man, when's lunch?)....

Lady in fronta Josh=Get. Off. The. Counter.

 

Gonna take her advice. I mean, s'been about a year or somethin.

 

So, what got, what we got?

Evidently, a gun and an entourage (er, I'M sorry - a WEAPON [I know some a' you's prior service, yo...or you watched Full Metal Parka...or somethin'...)

 

What to do, what to do?

 

Okay, L11. Gonna search SFMA, my level.

Well, hot damn. Why not, bruh?

 

*First off, kudos for being the first (and perhaps only) arc to include the phrase "Lickable Science." I used to teach 4th graders. They're all Ph.D's on that, man.

 

So, contact Catbird sez, KIDNAPPING! And I say YO! And off we go. Who cares if the verbiage says EXTREME WHATCHAMAHOOIE WITH LOTS OF BAD MOJONESS?

 

Or who cares if send off text says this?:

I assure you, Josh does not adjust (um...right?)

 

P.S. Going into mish, I have exactly one Insp, and it's this color.

 

Know what I like about these guys?

They just stand there and let me shoot them. They're like, "You not tank. Ugh! Not movin'!"

 

First glowie text=Making friends with the dog. Since I am clicking a crate, thought, I figure Fido must belong to Schrodinger (hey...he MIGHT have a backup pet...). But it's not, as it turns out that SPOILERSPOILERSPOILERNEVERMINDJUSTNOTPUTTINGITDOWN (but seriously, this dog is part of the reveal at the end, so...woof...and stuff).

 

First room INSP count: 5 (3 of them?  (sigh) blue)

 

Few more rooms. Knocking out Clocks.

KB -- the squishy soloist's BFF.

 

Okay, so Doc FL may be tough. But I got myself an ace in the pit:

All about timing, bronnaise.

 

Oh, and uh...

Um...she's gonna help (eyes front, man...eyes front!)

 

So, Ms. Science isn't going to Comic Con. Excellent. Follow me, sandals.

 

So Insp count as of now. 10 regular...

 

And one super insp:

 

Pummel more clocks. Then I ping L12 in the boss room, race ahead of L.S. to get to FL man (and let's be fair, her name's Kelsey - and this wasn't HER choice of garb-find her lab coat is a mish objective...{that I kinda want to fail?})

 

Anyhoo, all LEVEL-INSPED up and...

"Tough Opponent" goes under the heading of propaganda (or typical marketing)

 

BUT:

 

Turns out this is a transformer mission.

More than meets the eye, my friend.

 

THA END: So, long story short, I get Kelsey's lab coat back (yea, that Lickable thing was a...a...hell, I dunno what that was). Florida guy had a REALLY good reason for his hijinx (like possibly being high as well as drunk). The moral of the story? Choose your friends, wisely (and don't knock guns, man. guns are guns).

 

Verdict: 4/5 I'd say, due to the only thing under Tweaks (below)

 

Strengths:

*Nice customs. Like, really. Mixed in with the clocks, so not overdone. And I liked the costumes (um...some more than others).

*No typos. Easy to find spawns.

*Nice clue progression. Gives hints, then a reveal.

*No wonky spawns.

*HUMOR!

 

Tweaks

*It is 1 mish. That's it. So, I say, Fie on thee, because you're a cheater pants. Everyone knows you'd make a mistake if you had 2. Or 3, or...500! (kidding)

 

Play this if:

*You want to run one damn mission, and that's it, f***er!:-)

*You like a cool, light-hearted romp.

*You're Josh Jones --'cause what else ya gonna do.

 

Don't play if:

*No reason not to, really. It's short. It's well-crafted. It has grins. 

 

Oh...wait...don't play if: you're a farmer.:-)

 

That's quick hit #1, folks. Might tool around for another here in a short-short. If not, please: play the story arcs. There's some great ones out there. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're not gonna Pac-Man XP's (use 2XP, and you'll be fine, man), but you might discover what SFMA regulars already know. The population has some talent. Storytellers, comedians, lore masters, and noir masters. We've got new maps now, and new tools a-comin', so grab your friends and throw us bone. A really big one. Like that axe-steak thingy you can get at restaurants (word of advice: NEVER try to take one of those off a live cow...yeah...).

 

Adios, heroes & vills,

Crane

 

WHERE IS MY LAB COAT, DOUCHE BAG?

Edited August 25, 2022 by cranebump