Using Giant Monsters

[Clave Dark 5]

Did a little poking about for fun with this idea but ran out of time for in-depth checking, so...

 

1. Can you add a GM to a custom group and change their names?  I was looking for Eochai but he's not listed on the Fir Bolg "standard" roster.
2. Adding him onto a (very large and outdoor) map using the "fight a giant monster" mission objective, I could only add a single GM, 1 - is there a way to get around this?  Guessing this was a farming exploit defuser.
3. He also didn't follow the animation I set for him, is that normal?

[cranebump]

I got nuthin' here. I've never fiddled with GMs, mainly because I write for soloists, and I assume not every soloist is ready to fight a Giant Monster. Haven't even used them as an optional threat. That said, I've never seen a map with more than 1 selectable GM objective. Since you're dealing with large, outdoor maps, I would think this is something @Ankylosaur would know about.

[Defeat All Snakes]

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Can you add a GM to a custom group and change their names?  I was looking for Eochai but he's not listed on the Fir Bolg "standard" roster.

 

No. You can change their names via the regular GM spawn dialog, but there's no "giant monster" category in custom groups. They're their own unique thing.
 

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Adding him onto a (very large and outdoor) map using the "fight a giant monster" mission objective, I could only add a single GM, 1 - is there a way to get around this?  Guessing this was a farming exploit defuser.

 

No. GM spawns are highly restricted. It's one per map, only a few maps have the option, and no, the interface won't tell you which ones until you select them individually and check their spawn count.
 

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He also didn't follow the animation I set for him, is that normal?

 

Yes, though it depends on the GM and the animation. Many GMs aren't regular models and don't follow regular animation prompts, while the ones that do are subject to the fact that animations don't work half the time in general. Also, a lot of models have a much smaller list of viable animation types than show up on the list. It's a longstanding aggravation that a lot of these won't work despite playing just fine in the preview screen.

 

I hope this list of heartbreaking disappointments was helpful! For future inquiries, please refer to my AE FAQ:

 

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Q: Hey is there some way to-

A: No.

 

 

Edited May 18, 2023 by Defeat All Snakes

[Clave Dark 5]

But isn't there a way to-- 

 

NO.

 

Poking about, I did find out that one of the other GMs would reliably do poses, one of those big crystal guys from DevEarth.  I just had this great visual of a whole forest of Eochais swaying gently in the breeze, just set-dressing...  sigh...  And what I wanted to set him as a non-combat escort objective?  Oh well.

 

AE is just so janky.  Sometimes X works,sometimes it doesn't.  I've accidentally tricked it into allowing "too many" floor collection objects (tested and saved it multiple times too) , then had them rejected after I went in and changed some text or something.

[Ankylosaur]

Thanks @cranebump for pointing this one out. I've tried, over time, to use one of each somewhere in my stories and have learned a few things with them.

 

Here's what I know about GMs.

 

Caveats

• I tend to use them as extra flavor and not required objectives. 
• Some of this is based on memory and feel - both of which fail me from time to time...

 

All about GMs that I can think of at the moment

• I believe the only time you can use them is outdoor maps, and not all outdoor maps. (But even some really small ones, like the Praetoria CMF one supports them.)
• You can only have one GM per mission and they always appear in a single specific spot on each map.
• I believe the same GM can appear taller or shorter depending on the map. (not 100% on on that)
• They are listed as having a specific level, but I have always presumed they scale in difficulty to the player level like they do in game.
  • For example, put the level 20 death surge on a level 50 mission and he's not a push over
  • However, there may be quirks as the Eochai, if on a level 50 map, will lob flaming pumpkins that explode and spawn low level fir bolg - which may be a limitation of that mob more than anything.
• Some might honor some poses.
• GMs are not part of their core mob, however, a few traditional GMs do also appear as AVs within their mobs
  • Adamastor is in the Banished level 50 mob I think
  • There is a Thorn AV in the Devouring Earth mob.
    • Put him on the eden map and he looks tall like a GM I think.
  • There is a Paladin in the Psionic Clockwork

[Ankylosaur]

18 hours ago, Defeat All Snakes said:

Q: Hey is there some way to-

A: No.

 

 

ROFL

[Clave Dark 5]

10 hours ago, Ankylosaur said:

• They are listed as having a specific level, but I have always presumed they scale in difficulty to the player level like they do in game.
  • For example, put the level 20 death surge on a level 50 mission and he's not a push over

I want to say experimenting with this that I had randomly set the map's background foes to something like a 40-54 group, then got error messages for having Eochai there and the level ranges between the group and him not lining up.  But everything else there is good to know,  and matches what I've seen so far, yeah - thanks!