What additions to the AE would we like to see? (Within reason!)

[cranebump]

I am positive. I have some of my older missions where there’s a lot of dialogue popping. I think there’s less of it in the later missions. But part of it too I think is that you run our missions in stealth mode. So I am wondering if they’re not noticing you as quickly because of that?

[TerroirNoir2]

Just now, cranebump said:

I am positive. I have some of my older missions where there’s a lot of dialogue popping. I think there’s less of it in the later missions. But part of it too I think is that you run our missions in stealth mode. So I am wondering if they’re not noticing you as quickly because of that?

Ah, that may be a thing, using Infiltration.  Hadn't thought of that.

[Darmian]

1 hour ago, TerroirNoir2 said:

 

Come to think of it, @Darmian, I've never seen this happen in your missions.  Nor yours @cranebump and @Ankylosaur.  Is there a secret to this?

Well, they shouldn't pop in mine, but's that because I went back through them and unless an NPC appears literally in front of you then I don't use the Unaware text box for allies or enemies.  Unless I want them overheard.  And if I do I sometimes point out that in the Mission Entry pop up that you can hear them up ahead.

[Ankylosaur]

Echoing the above. The “secret” is I try to avoid the unaware text since I know its broken.
 

That’s not to say that I never use it in older missions, or that I forget, or hope that on this map maybe it works, or that in some rare cases I leverage the broken-ness on purpose, but I tend to avoid it. 

[Ankylosaur]

I think one way to accomplish people walking around that feels easy and at least for me is good enough is to add the "Non-combat" and "Single" options to Patrol Alignment menu in Patrols.

Edited May 11, 2023 by Ankylosaur

[Cybersbe]

Simply being able to recolor NPC powers, like we already can with our own, would be enough for me.

[Chronicler J]

Challenge Settings, same as TFs/SFs, along with 1-4star settings. 

[cranebump]

3 hours ago, Chronicler J said:

Challenge Settings, same as TFs/SFs, along with 1-4star settings. 

Wouldn't this just enhance farms even more?

[Darmian]

1 hour ago, cranebump said:

Wouldn't this just enhance farms even more?

It very well could do.

[Clave Dark 5]

38 minutes ago, Darmian said:

It very well could do.

I don't think they need any more help.

[Chronicler J]

On 5/29/2023 at 6:11 PM, cranebump said:

Wouldn't this just enhance farms even more?

How?

[cranebump]

40 minutes ago, Chronicler J said:

How?

By giving you the same settings you can get in the game, I assume? Would settings affect rewards?

[Lektrah Lyte]

I wish there was a way to add background sounds/music to a map we're playing, particularly if it was the same list of sounds/music available in supergroup bases. No map of mine is truly complete without a screechy violin and howling monkeys!

[starro]

File under wildest dreams: 

 

Enhance story telling:  User created cut screen tool for short dialogue between characters or a narrator.  Trigger would be start, one event during mission or end of mission.

 

Enhance settings:  Incorporate the player bases into missions.  I know it is not the same system, but I saw a cool china-town base and wished we could have a story there.

 

OR the ability to pick up and drop the X's and event triggers on a map.  

 

Enhance characters:  More, more and more options for powers, triggers for actions.  I hate that characters will talk at mission start and have this random dialogue that characters will miss.

 

 

 

 

[Jiro Ito]

It'd be cool if we could designate AE enemies as "Hero" as well as "Arch Villain."  Sometimes you're a bad guy takin' down a hero, y'know?

Same stats, just a different title.

[Jiro Ito]

Is there a reason we can't use Warshade or Peacebringers as custom enemies?  Too many powers and forms to navigate?

[UltraAlt]

On 3/23/2023 at 9:32 AM, Darmian said:

What additions would we like to see in the AE?

 

More maps is always a plus.

Reason? Variation.

 

Being able to place AVs and collectables.

Even front, middle, or rear don't really allow much control over placing these.

Reason? being able to place them can increase the enjoyability of AE missions.

 

select enemy travel mode. Flight, super leap, teleport, super speed.

About the only way  you can change enemies travel is by giving them kinetics powers.

Reason? variation.

 

Ability to give pool powers to enemies.

Reason? I think being able to give the sorcery powers to enemies would be interesting.

[Vic Raiden]

On 7/6/2023 at 5:53 AM, UltraAlt said:

Being able to place AVs and collectables.

Even front, middle, or rear don't really allow much control over placing these.

Reason? being able to place them can increase the enjoyability of AE missions.

This, so much this. It annoys me to no end how the spawn positions of everything are randomized. Case on point: I wanted to add some fighters to the Longbow Sea Base map as set dressing, so I set their spawn area to front... but then instead of appearing in the airstrip area as I expected, they started to pop up literally all over the base, including inside the command bunker. Another time, I wanted to place an interactable computer in a certain room in a Fifth Column base, and were quite displeased that I had to look for it in several different places between test runs. Because of that and many other things, I second the wish for more control over spawn locations for NPCs and objects.

 

One other thing I'd personally appreciate is letting the players build their own mission maps. Not asking for anything to the extent of SG base building, but seeing as most instanced maps really are a mish-mash of preset rooms and hallways from a list, I believe allowing the players to take advantage of that would greatly increase mission variety. Even better if we could combine multiple different tilesets per map.

[Darmian]

12 minutes ago, Vic Raiden said:

letting the players build their own mission maps.

The snag with that is pathing. In the provided AE maps, as with in world maps, there's coded pathing for NPCs to use, walk along, TP to and so on. Bases don't have this, which can be seen in minion behaviour if you have an MM in a base. They split up, don't follow, get lost etc.

And heck knows what sort of coding would be needed to let you put that into an AE map.

 

Personally I'd be happy with some modularity. Preset rooms I could "click" together with whatever needed already inside each one.

Edited July 16, 2023 by Darmian

[Vic Raiden]

Yeah, that's what I meant. Making modular maps using the library of preset rooms would be enough for me to be happy.

[Neji_Hawke]

On 6/3/2023 at 10:18 AM, starro said:

Enhance story telling:  User created cut screen tool for short dialogue between characters or a narrator.  Trigger would be start, one event during mission or end of mission.

For me this is the biggest thing I would want but I know would be just scripting hell, just like branching stories. 

Now if a normal branching story can't be done, I wonder if we could branch by setting up a check system that lets us hide the AE unless they complete another AE by fail or success. 

[Darmian]

39 minutes ago, Neji_Hawke said:

For me this is the biggest thing I would want but I know would be just scripting hell, just like branching stories. 

Now if a normal branching story can't be done, I wonder if we could branch by setting up a check system that lets us hide the AE unless they complete another AE by fail or success. 

This would be nice. I have no idea of how fragile the code is but something like if this happens then boot up Arc 77 immediately.  With Arc 77 not visible on the console normally. Then again, how on earth would you vote on an arc if it slides across arcs.

[starro]

1 hour ago, Neji_Hawke said:

For me this is the biggest thing I would want but I know would be just scripting hell, just like branching stories. 

Now if a normal branching story can't be done, I wonder if we could branch by setting up a check system that lets us hide the AE unless they complete another AE by fail or success. 

i love this and realize the duct tape and spaghetti that runs it probably is not realistic.  I put this up there with my custom mastermind pets (powers too!)  for wishlist items.

[Shocktacular]

Add missing powersets.  There's currently a rad-based enemy group that I want to make but can't because Rad Melee's not in there and I can't recolor other sets to look like rad.  Oh yeah, recoloring custom critters' powers, too (or instead?).  What baffles me is that storm blast and some of the HC sets are in there, so why not rad melee or water blast?  I don't understand the reasoning.
A "Praetorian" tag.  Might as well add "Resistance" and "Loyalist" tags, too.

Those are the main things I've run into lately;  I'm working on a series of arcs for Praetorians in the level 40 to 50 range because it bugs me that there aren't any story arcs for them in that range.  Currently, if you want to get a pure Praetorian to 50, you have to do a bunch of repeatable missions from Trilogy, and that gets boring (at least for me).

[cranebump]

Even adding the Power Pools would be nice.