TerroirNoir's "Cable Channel of AE!" Reviews. Part 2.

[Ankylosaur]

On 9/12/2023 at 7:35 PM, cranebump said:

On 9/12/2023 at 5:13 PM, Darmian said:

Well, I'm sure not all the villains we meet along the way are eating popcorn and watching reality TV.  Though who knows WHAT Reality TV in COH would be like!

Ah! Another story idea!:-)

I'm sure the Television would have pointed point of view...

[cranebump]

Heh...review of mission White, especially funny, @TerroirNoir

 

Engin-eeee and Iiiii-vor-ee,

Fight together in perfect har-mon-y,

What the future may hold, though,

don't know, could go "ow-ow-eeeeee."

[TerroirNoir2]

On 9/12/2023 at 2:38 PM, TerroirNoir2 said:

Next up from @cranebump is Noble Mettle Part Two: The Hollow Crown.

@cranebump, there's TWO listings for this in the AE. Which one is the actual next part?

[cranebump]

3 minutes ago, TerroirNoir2 said:

@cranebump, there's TWO listings for this in the AE. Which one is the actual next part?

Oh no...I'll have to look. That's an Oops and a half.

[cranebump]

Okay it's got to be the one with 4 plays. I'll delete the other (and pray I'm right). I'll playtest it to make sure, since there's a break between. Sorry about that.

Edited October 14, 2023 by cranebump

[Clave Dark 5]

13 hours ago, cranebump said:

Oh no...I'll have to look. That's an Oops and a half.

Sounds like it's Two Oops to me...

[Darmian]

15 hours ago, cranebump said:

Okay it's got to be the one with 4 plays. I'll delete the other (and pray I'm right). I'll playtest it to make sure, since there's a break between. Sorry about that.

And reclaim a slot!

[cranebump]

5 hours ago, Clave Dark 5 said:

Sounds like it's Two Oops to me...

It was 3. But I was ashamed, so I cut the total in half.:-)

[cranebump]

On 10/14/2023 at 4:06 PM, cranebump said:

Okay it's got to be the one with 4 plays. 

This one appears to be the correct one. That said, the other one might have been an update with minor changes to the last two mishes (in particular, the finale). I found a couple of typos in the published one (fixed), and need to revisit some minor issues. I'll have it all ironed out by the time my turn rolls back around.

 

After looking into the 2 files, I'm pretty sure the second file - the one I unpublished - probably has the fixes done already (esp. since the file is named "fix"). Unfortunately, I cannot get into it. I keep get booting from the server. Might be a local issue. Not sure yet. In any case, the current, published arc does run sufficiently. But the finale has objective overload, and needs to be culled (imho).

 

UPDATE: Every time I load the alternate "fix" file, it takes a VERY long time to load up, then it kicks me out after less than 90 seconds. No idea what's going on with it. I'm thinking best bet is to do a test run on it and see if it's the right one. I did manage to fix the 2 typos I saw on the published arc.

Edited October 15, 2023 by cranebump

[cranebump]

Test run indicates the "fix" file is very much the same as the published one. To include kicking me out of the arc when I edit it. Probably going to have to trouble ticket the thing. The narrative is all good, from what I can tell (I think I got the 2 typos, but I do not know for sure without running the pub version again). I'd like to fix some small isues (glowie with no search text; stray patrol that should not pop up before a glowie; fewer objectives on the last mish). No luck though. I sent in a trouble ticket. I don't think it's my system, since I can play normal content. Oh, well...c'est la vie.

Edited October 15, 2023 by cranebump

[cranebump]

OK, so GM reply to my trouble ticket: they do not know why it could be happening, either. Could have something to do with outdated enemies, maps or some such. I will probably try to revisit it again, just to see if this is a one off type of thing. Otherwise it is what it is. I did eliminate the extra mission though, so at least that’s fixed 

[Ankylosaur]

Mollymauk has been going through Glimmers, which is so great to see! But I wonder if he will lap Engineria!!! I propose you just burn through the last three and treat it like a single Engineeria episode. 

 

Oh... The Antici...

Edited October 28, 2023 by Ankylosaur

[Ankylosaur]

Then you can move on to Glints - only three arcs!  🙂

1 - Let Go of My Ego

2 - Beware the Ids that March

3 - Super Ego Maniac

 

So much ahead for Engineeria!

[TerroirNoir2]

On 10/28/2023 at 3:40 AM, Ankylosaur said:

Mollymauk has been going through Glimmers, which is so great to see! But I wonder if he will lap Engineria!!!

I don't have his time! Plus, he doesn't write it up after. Totally different LOL.  I've seen a few of his plays and they look enjoyable, since I just solo things, but sometimes I think they miss some of your nuances. Just a different style isn't it?

[cranebump]

On 10/30/2023 at 1:14 PM, TerroirNoir2 said:

I don't have his time! Plus, he doesn't write it up after. Totally different LOL.  I've seen a few of his plays and they look enjoyable, since I just solo things, but sometimes I think they miss some of your nuances. Just a different style isn't it?

Molly, God Bless 'im, but he misses a ton. He's often not soloing, so I'm sure he's pushing through partially because he’s leading a team (and let’s face it — some of our stuff can be, erm...wordy [we're writing a story, right?]).
 

Unfortunately you miss stuff that can enhance the story. For example: when he ran Cage Match, there were significant Mish begin/end clues that served as my version of "cut scenes," which, if read, would've foreshadowed the Mish 5's finale. When he did check his screen for them, he was a mish or two past when they were relevant, so he decided to skip them and move on. For my part, I was philosophical. I'm thinking, Okay, we probably could use those a bit less text maybe? At the same time, I'm thinking, Man...there's a lot of story missing here.  In the end, I guess I had enough for the story to make sense, since Molly DID go on to part 2 (Grudge Match). That was really cool, as it meant he wanted to "finish" the story. BUT...he later mentioned doing the finale (Match Point), but never returned to it (pretty sure he did something from futuretails, whose stuff we seem to see almost every week, which, if nothing else, speaks as much to how nice Vale is, since the player-author is basically right there, nudging for their arcs to be run. From my perspective, it feels like a squeaky wheel thing. But who knows? It's Molly's channel. He can do what he wants. Way I look at it, if anything of mine gets run, esp. on Twitch, it's just gravy.  The fact that a major portion of a particular episode in the stream is devoted to it is a public service. 

 

But, to be on point here -- make no mistake: TN's writeups are special. There is NO comparison here. It's its own kickass thing. It's part of Engineria's journey. There's a history there, like a sprawling set of novels.

 

So, when it comes to whose space is the Regnum Rex of Reviews*, there's no contest.

 

It's TN.

*I'm fairly certain this is improper usage.

Edited November 2, 2023 by cranebump

[TerroirNoir2]

Arc 18 from our third author on "TerroirNoir's Cable Channel of AE" Reviews is @Darmian's Spirals: Part Two.

Spirals: Part Two is subtitled "(Imperial Crusader, Ch. 7)" which means it is meant to follow on directly from "Spirals: Part One (Imperial Crusader, Ch. 6)", which follows on directly from "Blood of Tyrants (Imperial Crusader, Ch. 5"

 

Mission 1: Shapes and Colors. Odysseus tells Engineria that there is unfinished business. I mean, ok. When is there NOT unfinished business?  Rhetorical question there. Oh no, he's decided to answer. So, like when I ask a rhetorical question and someone actually answers, does it STOP being rhetorical? Is it out of my control now, the whole thing?  Whatever. Hmm.  He's spotted I've drifted off. Back to the briefing!

 

Last time we took down Simon McAllister and I got my head almost handed to me by Olympian Guards.  McAllister doesn't know who the mole in the Resistance is, so that's a strike against us. However, documents recovered from his safe mention Dominatrix, so Odysseus wants me to investigate that angle. Duncan is a party gal so we're going to raid one of her raves and kidnap Medea, one of her entourage. Get some intel the old fashioned way.  Ok then.

 

Well this place looks peachy. And there's Dominatrix's infamous "Servants" walking around in their bondage outfits.  Ok then.

Yeah, I'm going to avoid you people for now and just hunt out Medea.

 

 

And there she is, rocking out to her own little groove.

 

 

Let's get this over with and get back to base. Oh! She is not happy!  Rita Mayfair? Expensive togs!

 

 

Looks like she's using Fixadine! And a raver has decided to join in the dance. OW.  That raver has a taser!

 

 

Jeez Louise! I've attracted more company! Company with whips fergawdsake!  Ow ow ow!

 

 

That did not go well.

 

 

Time to mediport out, patch up and ...Round 2!!

And this time I catch her flat footed and minus her bondaged assistants!  And stay down!

 

 

Now, Odysseus told me to cover my trail, so I need to wipe the CCTV.  There we go!  Hmm, I found some green crystals of Fixadine.  Odd.

 

 

Well, THAT'S annoying.  Even though I've wiped this, one of the uplink feeds goes direct to a cybernetic implant in someone called Lady Etta.  She's somewhere in the building so I need to find her and, I dunno, stick a large electromagnet near her head?  Play it by ear.

 

Oookay.  That, dear friends, is "Lord Ocean".  He seems a mite agitated. A bit squirrelly if you ask me.  I am going to avoid him entirely.  So, we're going right at this intersection.

 

 

Continuing on I find Lady Etta.  HANG ON!  My own powers are Rad Blasty!  I reckon that alone will fry an implant!  Go me!  

 

 

And down she goes!  I pop out the implant and reel through it before wiping.  It shows her putting something in a nearby safe.  Let's have a looksee.

Handy to open having seen the exact code in the playback.

 

 

And I am cursed.  An Olympian Guard arrives!  Olympian Guard 25 in fact.  And I need to take him down to get out of here.  Last time I met these guys I RAN AWAY.  You know, like a sane person.  Of course, there WERE a lot of them.  Ok, I've taken one out before (just one but there's only one here, so...)

 

 

Whew!  Got lucky there in that his whippy friends didn't attack alongside him!  One careful Kinetics pull later and he's on the floor!  And I am outta here!

 

 

Back to Odysseus. Medea was TP'd out when I dropped her and she's under DeVore's care now.  Whatever that means!  Odysseus is intrigued by the green Fixadine. As for Lady Etta and so on? That's just good work on my part.  He's going to call me later. Time to snooze now.

 

[Mission 1 = Well that was jam packed full of surprise and nastiness, and I didn't even go near the deranged Lord Ocean!  Looking forward to the next one!]

 

Mission 2: This is the Way. So Odysseus tells Engineria that Vanessa DeVore has been working on our friend Medea. That remains ongoing though and Engineria has a new task ahead of her. Harking back to the spy hunt, two of Crow's minions have gone to ground and I have to find them. Trouble is, the Resistance operates in cells so their teams will think WE'RE the bad guys.  Ok, great. Engineria has to find these two, Tagger and Heder, and TP them out.

 

Off we go then.

 

The block is flooded. Neutropolis' poor quarter is ... pretty poor. And first of all I can see some Resistance members ahead of me. Gathered around a barrel. And of course as Odysseus warned, they're unfriendly.

 

 

I deal with them and then examine a body lying in the water.  It's Heder. He's been electrocuted it seems. So stick a TP beacon on him and move on. One down though not the way I expected.

 

And coming around a corner I find out WHO killed Heder.  It's gawdamn REESE!  And he thinks I'm his back up.  Let's see how that goes then.  Oh, he's just given me a Speed Boost.  That will be useful. So how did Reese know about Heder and Tagger?  More questions.

 

 

Moving on through the building with my new "ally" we find Tagger. Ok, let's get this done. I need to TP him but I'm certain Reese will want to kill him.

 

 

Ok, this did not go well at all.

 

 

 

Yeah. Now I have to deal with Reese, AND catch Tagger, and ...sigh.

I take out Tagger and slap the beacon on him and then I ... run away because Reese's ACTUAL back up has arrived and he's given them ALL Speed Boost and they're zipping around me. So I run for the elevator, pursued all the way to the exit. But I make it!

 

 

I get back to Odysseus and report in.  He puts together a connection between Reese and Dominatrix. And at least Tagger is alive to be questioned. So something salvaged out of that mission. He'll call me when that's done.

 

[Mission 2 = Oh that was fun and atmospheric. And the run in with Reese was great and the reveal was timed really well.  Loved it! Also, about time Reese showed up in all these Praetorian missions.]

 

Mission 3:  Hey, Mr. Postman. Odysseus informs Engineria that Tagger has had his mind "peeled open" by the psychics.  Ugh.  Tagger and Heder and their minions were the last of Crow's traitor cell, well as far as Tagger knew at least. Their contact with Imperial forces is a Clarice King. Odysseus has never heard of her. You know, Praetoria is a relatively small place so you'd think that it would be easier to spot people. Something to think about I suppose.  Anyway, the dead letter drops to Clarice King take place in a sealed crate placed at one of Anti-Matter's reactors. So that's where I'm going.

 

And off we go.

 

 

So I fly up to the top of the reactor and...yep, there's the crate....no, there's a couple of them. I search through and find the right one. Got it!

 

 

Ah.  Syzygy is here too. That guy is constantly trying to back Engineria up.  But he's been caught.  Time to rescue him.

 

 

Ok Syz old buddy, time for you and me to find Clarice King. Let's hope you're up for that.

 

 

And there she is!  Oops. Gone is the element of surprise.  And in the open this could get messy.

 

 

King is nasty but we take her down. Unfortunately she had summoned reinforcements so now we have to fight our way back out and get to the exit.  Not easy. There are a hell of a lot of them. I mean a HELL of a lot. Now we have to get by all this with our prisoner. Sheesh.

 

 

Jeez Louise!  They just keep coming! I'm keeping myself and Syzgy up via stealing health from them with Kinetics, but it's getting tough! We finally clear a space and then we run!  Run run run run run!

 

 

Whew!

Good job Syz.

 

 

Getting to Odysseus, Engineria reports in. He eyes the prisoner and gives Engineria his customary response to get rest while the Resistance questions Clarice King.  Let's see if we're making any headway.

 

[Mission 3 = Small mission but oh hell it got very intense! And absolute bloodbath trying to get to the exit. Flying away would have worked if I'd been able to get aloft, but no. On to the fourth mission!]

 

Mission 4: Another Broken Day. Odysseus informs Engineria that Calvin Scott has euphemistically removed McAllister. Dead is dead says Odysseus. Medea is interesting. Dominatrix sent Reese to take out Tagger and Heder, and there's possible blackmail there. Especially with the green Fixadine. Which isn't Fixadine. It's Superadine from Primal Earth. A parallel earth. There's a lot going on that Engineria is not on the "need to know" list for. The recipe for this was brought to Praetoria by Recall [I remember Recall! He wasn't so bad in the end!] a former Powers Division guy. With Duncan involved previously in the Fix trade we need to shut off that loose end and close down a Superadine warehouse that has arisen to replace Fixadine.

 

Well, it all got a bit street there! If it wasn't for the fact that a PRAETOR is involved this really should be a job for the PPD.  Instead it's me.

And in I go to see some Destroyers and Superadine stashes.

 

 

I deal with the Destroyers and the stash and then check a nearby bulletin board. Today's deliveries are being run by Lord Sallust.  Oh great. Lady Etta, Lord Ocean, Lord Sallust. So he's one of Domi's bondage followers. With the whips and the leather. Wonderful.

 

 

Engineria moves through the warehouse and tackles the Destroyers she meets along the way. Makes sense that the biggest Fixadine addicts in Praetoria would want a replacement for their favorite drug.  And there's Sallust and friends. 

 

 

And he's not expecting me, which is good. I don't like playing catch up. So I catch HIM off guard! YEAH!

 

 

I keep my distance from the whips since I learned that the hard way in the rave warehouse. And Sallust goes down. I pull a key card from his outfit. It is marked "Refrigerator". Wonder what's in there? Well, time to sneak around.

 

Here we go. Ah. packages of the green stuff and a log with its recipe and so on. And wouldn't you know it, I have company. Reese!  I should have killed that guy last time.

 

 

I go on the attack immediately. With Reese and his Kinetics boosted minions I can't take the option to slow down, or I'll get really slow!

 

 

Always win do you?  Not this time, buddy!  Should have killed you before. Even your bosses are telling you to withdraw. Probably wondering why on earth you're even here anyway. Not like you're going to tell Marauder that you're doing Duncan's dirty work for her, is it?

 

 

I drop the remaining minions and go to set explosives to take care of this entire operation.  Job done! (That fight was closer than it might seem as I can still see the Kinetics rings sapping me here!)

 

 

And out the door to report back to Odysseus.

And he hits Engineria with a surprise. 

 

 

[Mission 4 = Simple and straightforward but actually challenging, especially at a higher difficulty! Love the tie in to Superadine and a great use of a Primal map in Praetoria. On we go.]

 

Mission 5: False Dawn. Well, there's a little trouble. I didn't have Syz on my last mission and the reason for that is he went missing on his way to back me up. So, now I have to find him... or you know, end him because he knows too much. Thing is he may already have given the house away. So kill anyway?  We'll see.  Gonna be tough for you Syz. After some searching through hacked CCTV feeds Syz was spotted being hustled into a PPD building. So, let's go.

 

 

                                                                                                                 SPOILERS AHEAD

 

 

Right. What's in here? Ah.

 

 

Taking it easy I sneak in and...to my right is another console.  Let's check that one.  Looking good! Syzygy is here under guard.

 

 

And there he is with some Seers. Have to hit them fast or they'll leave me unable to use my abilities.  Coming for ya, Syz!

 

 

Someone else you say?  Lead on then. We clear a few T.E.S.T. along the way as we go.

 

 

SYZYGY!  You total piece of S**T! What the hell?!?!

 

 

Oh, I'm mad now.  Oh that hurts. I'm mad and that hurts. Ergh. Mediport! Regroup!

 

 

Right. Let's try that again, yeah?  Yeah. C'mon Buddy.

 

.

 

And I take off most of VICTOR's head with a blast. And good riddance. Odysseus said most revolutions fail from within. Looks like he was sorta right.

 

 

And Buddy finishes him off before we move on to Dominatrix.  If my uniform had the right sort of sleeves they'd be rolled up now.

 

 

The fight's a bit rough, I won't lie. (Glad I didn't do this on +4!) We wear her down though!

 

 

Right, now we skedaddle before Grandpappy hears about this! RUN BUDDY!  RUN!

 

 

SIGH.  Ok, see Engineria and Buddy we're not in great shape making their escape, and we got dropped by T.E.S.T. when we were almost, ALMOST(!) at the exit. 

Hit the mediporters as we fell and we're out of here all the same!

 

 

A little while later back with Odysseus.

 

[Mission 5 = Such a short mission but full of nasty surprises. I loved it!]

 

Verdict: @Darmian managed to fool me for most of the arc, which is hard to do I think with the limits of AE writing. The use of the Vagabond clone in the previous arc threw me off! And the Lore just keeps coming. Great arc. Loved it a lot.

 

 

Next up from @Darmian is Spirals: Part Three.

And next up on the schedule in TerroirNoir's Cable Channel of AE Reviews is  @Ankylosaur's All That Glimmers 3.1: Summonings in Nerva Archipelago.

Edited November 18, 2023 by TerroirNoir2

[Zhym]

9 hours ago, TerroirNoir2 said:

Spirals: Part Two is subtitled "(Imperial Crusader, Ch. 7)" which means it is meant to follow on directly from "Spirals: Part One (Imperial Crusader, Ch. 6)", which follows on directly from "Blood of Tyrants (Imperial Crusader, Ch. 5"

I've tagged "Spirals" parts one and two accordingly.  Is there anything else in the TV Guide I should be tagging this way?  Or, put another way, has Engineria done the previous episodes in "Imperial Crusader?"

[TerroirNoir2]

11 hours ago, Zhym said:

I've tagged "Spirals" parts one and two accordingly.  Is there anything else in the TV Guide I should be tagging this way?  Or, put another way, has Engineria done the previous episodes in "Imperial Crusader?"

Actually yes!  Though as they're part of the in game Praetoria storyline I haven't recorded them like here. In fact I have tagged all of @Darmian's Praetoria arcs like this. Well, because he tagged them as the relevant part in the title.

Edited November 6, 2023 by TerroirNoir2

[Ankylosaur]

On 10/30/2023 at 1:14 PM, TerroirNoir2 said:

I think they miss some of your nuances. Just a different style isn't it?

 

Unquestionably - and they do. Because you're soloing you catch many more things and make the whole thing much more personal and witty to boot.

 

I think was just missing Engineeria... 🙂

[Zhym]

On 11/6/2023 at 3:23 PM, TerroirNoir2 said:

Actually yes!  Though as they're part of the in game Praetoria storyline I haven't recorded them like here. In fact I have tagged all of @Darmian's Praetoria arcs like this. Well, because he tagged them as the relevant part in the title.

Ohhhhh, right.  I was getting confused because @Darmian's chapters are following on from the official in-game arc chapters.  I was lost there for a bit, wondering why I don't remember seeing Imperial Crusader chapters 1-5 in this thread.  D'oh!

 

I've updated the TV Guide posts with the subtitles.

[Darmian]

4 minutes ago, Zhym said:

Ohhhhh, right.  I was getting confused because @Darmian's chapters are following on from the official in-game arc chapters.  I was lost there for a bit, wondering why I don't remember seeing Imperial Crusader chapters 1-5 in this thread.  D'oh!

 

I've updated the TV Guide posts with the subtitles.

Yeah, I was really aiming for as near as possible a continuation of the Praetorian storyline from the end of Neutropolis and into First Ward/Night Ward and bringing in elements of the Praetorian War. I really didn't like that the only option was leave. Or at least the only pushed option because you CAN just stay.

[Zhym]

4 hours ago, Darmian said:

Yeah, I was really aiming for as near as possible a continuation of the Praetorian storyline from the end of Neutropolis and into First Ward/Night Ward and bringing in elements of the Praetorian War. I really didn't like that the only option was leave. Or at least the only pushed option because you CAN just stay.

The wacky thing is: I knew that.  I mean, I've played through all or most of those arcs, and I remember how they continued threads from the in-game official arcs.  I just forgot it with @TerroirNoir2 added the note about this in the write-ups here.

 

And now, apropos of nothing, I'm trying to remember which AE arcs let me beat up Reese.  Because beating up Reese is never not fun.

[Darmian]

3 minutes ago, Zhym said:

The wacky thing is: I knew that.  I mean, I've played through all or most of those arcs, and I remember how they continued threads from the in-game official arcs.  I just forgot it with @TerroirNoir2 added the note about this in the write-ups here.

 

And now, apropos of nothing, I'm trying to remember which AE arcs let me beat up Reese.  Because beating up Reese is never not fun.

That was, look away now @TerroirNoir2,

Spoiler

Spirals: Part Two.

 

[cranebump]

22 hours ago, Zhym said:

The wacky thing is: I knew that.  I mean, I've played through all or most of those arcs, and I remember how they continued threads from the in-game official arcs.  I just forgot it with @TerroirNoir2 added the note about this in the write-ups here.

 

And now, apropos of nothing, I'm trying to remember which AE arcs let me beat up Reese.  Because beating up Reese is never not fun.

I tend to recall getting my ass kicked in Darmian Arcs, rather than the other way ‘round. Don’t get me wrong, I rarely outright die. But, by the time it’s over, Ive had more close shaves than Sweeney Todd

[Zhym]

2 hours ago, cranebump said:

I tend to recall getting my ass kicked in Darmian Arcs, rather than the other way ‘round. Don’t get me wrong, I rarely outright die. But, by the time it’s over, Ive had more close shaves than Sweeney Todd

My main is a DP/MA blaster, and Ki Push is a wonderful thing. 

 

All those fancy powers don't do them much good if they're spending all their time flying backwards, waving their arms helplessly in the air.

Edited November 9, 2023 by Zhym