Finding Story Arc Writers

[Akalabeth]

Is there a resource somewhere that will tell me who wrote which story arc?  I didn't see names of writers on the wiki with the story arcs I checked, and searching for writers wasn't very helpful either.

[TraumaTrain]

Dr. Quaterfield's author would like to remain anonymous. 

[Akalabeth]

23 minutes ago, TraumaTrain said:

Dr. Quaterfield's author would like to remain anonymous. 

 

Can't tell if serious or joke. >_<  But I've never actually read the mission text in Dr. Q.

 

I don't have it in me to do every story arc across all sides, but I just thought it would be nice to see what someone did in addition to an arc I really like including other games the people may have worked on. 🙂

[Greycat]

For the in-game arcs? No, not to my knowledge. Then again, they're most likely "written" (as in plot, breaking into story chunks, tweaking or creating mobs, etc.) by a team.

 

The only one I can think of that would probably have a known author would be Smoke and Mirrors. (Troy Hickman.)

 

Mid-to-late live stuff that is an absolute ambush-fest probably had Sean McCann involved. >.>

[Astralock]

Yeah.  Sean McCann wrote most of the missions added after Issue 16 until sunset, including the SSAs.

[Akalabeth]

Wow... what happened to him?  I saw his profile on a site and he did "over 300 missions" for CoH and then... later... WoW Battle For Azeroth and Shadowlands? 😧 >_< 😞

 

Those uhm..  are not the best expacks they've had. 😕

[Greycat]

Did they have a lot of ambushes? ;)

[Akalabeth]

I'm not sure exactly what he wrote in WoW, but I muted the cutscenes in BFA and remember feeling aggravated by a lot of the changes from the previous expansion.

 

If he's responsible for a lot of ambush missions in CoH they always normal to me, but I only played the last 2-3 years of CoH on live. I appreciate a lot of the stuff he must've worked on though. 🙂

[Snarky]

I did not enjoy the SSA, but it was as much technical as anything.  The writing of the plot was plodding.  Normal for almost all games.  The missions with their intricate mechanics not supported by the game very well….bleh.  
 

There are some good, great even, arcs.   The Radio.   Just a hoot, and does not need to use anything you do not use for newspaper missions.  The Slot Machine.  Redside writing tends to be better than Blue.  Gild maybe slightly better but again trying to ise gimmicks so many times instead of plot.   Personally I hate the plot Goldside with all the political crap.  But I will hive it a maybe better than Red because they tried so hard and did good work.  I just hate the subject matter and cannot judge

[Akalabeth]

Hi. 🙂

 

I do not enjoy most villain side story arcs, at least when I read them.  It's like... "Oh... I'm being betrayed... AGAIN."  I very mush dislike Dr. Graves compared to Twinshot's story. Y_Y

[Oubliette_Red]

John Hegner (aka Protean) also crafted arcs/STs/SFs in CoH.

 

Here's a flashback article:

https://www.engadget.com/2011-03-31-exclusive-dev-diary-designing-the-task-forces-for-city-of-heroe.html

[High_Beam]

4 hours ago, Snarky said:

 Gild maybe slightly better but again trying to ise gimmicks so many times instead of plot.   Personally I hate the plot Goldside with all the political crap.  But I will hive it a maybe better than Red because they tried so hard and did good work.  I just hate the subject matter and cannot judge

Plus such gorgeous outdoor imagery and constantly being sent to the sewers.

[twozerofoxtrot]

On 11/8/2022 at 8:48 AM, Akalabeth said:

Wow... what happened to him? 

 

My guess?

 

The difference between writing for a fairly original IP and one that has been firmly established with a ton of narrative baggage and retcon tangles to boot.

 

But I stopped playing WoW after the Lich King died. That was the end of the WarCraft story for me. Might not have all the info for a proper assumption. 

[Akalabeth]

9 hours ago, twozerofoxtrot said:

 

My guess?

 

The difference between writing for a fairly original IP and one that has been firmly established with a ton of narrative baggage and retcon tangles to boot.

 

But I stopped playing WoW after the Lich King died. That was the end of the WarCraft story for me. Might not have all the info for a proper assumption. 

 

Yeah, I guess he might not have much creative leeway in WoW.

[MistressOhm]

On 11/8/2022 at 7:34 AM, Akalabeth said:

Hi. 🙂

 

I do not enjoy most villain side story arcs, at least when I read them.  It's like... "Oh... I'm being betrayed... AGAIN."  I very mush dislike Dr. Graves compared to Twinshot's story. Y_Y

 

Kind of a cornerstone of villainy... do unto others, before they do unto you.   Maybe that's why I liked Redside a lot, there was a lot of that going on.  Whereas Heroes bank on trust and respect, with villains it's all about what kind of leverage do you have over others to keep them at bay.  

 

But yes, it does get pretty formulaic when you ALWAYS get a heel turn in the third act.

[MTeague]

On 11/8/2022 at 8:34 AM, Akalabeth said:

Hi. 🙂

 

I do not enjoy most villain side story arcs, at least when I read them.  It's like... "Oh... I'm being betrayed... AGAIN."  I very mush dislike Dr. Graves compared to Twinshot's story. Y_Y

 

It's not all the time, but it's often enough.

It would be refreshing to have a few arcs where someone is setting up to betray you, and you get to do a pre-emptive betrayal / neutralization of them. 

 

"Londo, you are a fool. You walk away from the greatest power I have even seen!  And now you expect me to do the same!? They are the key to my eventual rise to the throne! Why would I abandon them?"
"Because I have asked you. And because your loyalty to our people should be greater than your ambition. And because I have poisoned your drink."
.....
"Why? Why did you do this?"
"To guarantee your co-operation. And because, sooner or later, you would do it to me. Yes, we are returning to the old ways, Refa. Poison was always the instrument of choice in the old Republic. Being something of a sentimentalist, I got here, first."

 

Babylon 5, S3E11, "Ceremonites of Light and Dark"

 

That said, the Doctor Graves arc could be improved in excess of 90%, if they allowed you to murder some of the annoying NPC's at the end of the arc.

Edited November 11, 2022 by MTeague