Packing and delivering Christmas gifts has put me in a materialistic, yet expansive mood, and prompted me to think of loot and treasure in MxO. Obviously, by this I mean the stuff we accumulate from vanquished enemies and bosses and missions.
It seems to me that there are three basic principles with loot.
1. Loot should excite as much as possible. Otherwise, when you get to 50, why bother? (except for info. Except to help others. Except or the packrat impulse. Except for the buzz.)
2. But it must not imbalance the game. At all costs one must avoid the D&D Monty Haul Syndrome. We already have this so some extent, where everyone has a Direskin, Sakura Bandana, Ethereal Shoes, Widow's Moor Lenses, etc.
3. We should not ask for miracles from the devs. Much though I would like jewelry and smokes and handbags and dresses, it would be a serious time commitment for the devs to do all this while they're still trying to arrange candy corn for next Halloween. So I'm thinking small and tactical as much as possible.
With these three principles in mind, let me make some suggestions.
1. Some loot can be retired. Stakes, Silver Bullets, and Holy Water. I doubt that I have ever, ever seen anyone actually use these. Currently in this game, lower-level people who encounter vamps and succubi are likely to have upper-level buddies with them who engage these mobs. So these items seem to me to be totally superfluous. Low level pistols, catsuits, the cheap boots you can get at any vendor...stuff like this, can be kept, though no one ever uses them much.
2. Prestige loot could be introduced. Prestige items are the envy of all who behold them, but they do not instantly slay enemies or unbalance the game. But their desirability makes people work hard to get them. What are some possible ways to create prestige items?
2.1 Some looted items might be items which are normally strictly seasonal, like the party hats, would work year-round. Easy to engineer for a dev, yet rare to find.
2.2 Some items are variations on existing items. Color variants on clothes, like Black or White Lotus blouses. Open-toed shoes not in black. Maybe handguns or cellphones with different colors. Also not difficult to engineer, since some NPC already have these.
2.3 Other types of clothes, non-buffed. Existing clothes could have variations created with different patterns and colors. These would add value without changing the way the game works. In a tactical sense. Naturally, wholly new types of clothes would also be okay!
2.4 Documents/Story items. These would add background to characters in the story, maybe be just a couple of paragraphs, and be tragic or amusing. They would add depth, not direction.
2.5 Emotes. Perhaps some mishes might enable you to use a new emote if you find a piece of code or something.
2.6 Hair Tinting or Hair Style Kits. Who wouldn't fight her way to the bottom of Creston Heights Dungeon for some salon time? Especially if it were a _unique_ hairstyle, not available during the normal character creation process!
The above should not be insuperable to create. What can be done to make them rare? Prestige can be introduced in one or more of three ways.
2.1 They cannot be decompiled. If you want one, you must earn it.
2.2 They cannot be transferred. We already have this with some items.
2.3 They are only found on some missions or some mobs. Boss loot is already like this.
The benefit of prestige items is that they add measurably to the value of the game without ostensibly unbalancing what a character can do. And they should certainly be less difficult to architect than flies in amber or glimmers of the course. And they would be fun without being deadly, as opposed to more and more weapons, which can be deadly without being fun.
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Saturday, December 24, 2005
Sugar Shack 23: Exile Contact Missions: Madame T.: Like the Oracle, but Wittier
Sugar Shack 23: Exile Contact Missions: Madame T.: Like the Oracle, but Wittier
After struggling in vain to find some emotional connection with the taciturn, impassive TickTock, it was a great relief to work with Madame T. She continually refers to predicting the future; it is a delightful irony that this future-teller is located in the Historic District (!), at -1033, 1, -653. When I met her the other night, I was surprised to see this bare-shouldered woman in shades, with wild dark hair, standing resolute in a driving snowstorm, like Anna Karenina, so rapt in future visions that she was oblivious to the storm of the present. Above her left breast burned a heart tattoo, suggesting a dissolute life eventually redirected towards the world of the spirit. I could tell I was going to like her, and I was not disappointed.
In many respects she is reminiscent of Hypatia, with her ravenous desire for knowledge. However, Hypatia always had a lust for the physical book itself, the material index of knowledge. Madame T., on the other hand, simply seeks the insight itself, as we shall see.
One very, very unusual aspect of Madame T. is that she is not an Exile! One contact in her second mission observes: “She certainly is pushy for a redpill”. Wow, what a prospect this raises: perhaps one day some of us playing the game might be able to retire as Neighborhood Mission Contacts…I can see myself sitting at a table in a Chinese restaurant in Kowloon someday, passing out assignments in the form of fortune cookies…. *shakes head* Back to the task at hand! I almost forgot to mention: I ran all her missions on hard.
1. Starting Points
She just needs some data from a nearby security office. She has “seen” that we would be working together apparently, and says “I have anticipated” “I predict”, etc. Unfortunately I found myself fighting a machine captain, which went against my principles and the precepts of Agent Gray and made me feel guilty. For a minute or two, anyway.
This mish is simple, and entertaining. When I dropped off the data with a cutout, she told me, “wow, one of Madame T’s predictions actually came true!”. (Interestingly, all the cutouts and assistants I these missions are succubus in appearance, a nice touch.) Then, at the end, Madame T. foresaw many more opportunities for cooperation. I loved this cute ending.
2. Inquiring Minds
Madame T. wants some data from an exile, and whether it is given willingly or not is strictly secondary. The principal, though, moves around a lot, and you have to run around to find him. Kill all his very tough guards, and he becomes quite accommodating, commenting sourly, “She certainly is pushy for a redpill”. There are many amusing touches in this mission, such as reading the principal’s email inbox, and Madame T saying “I guess I should have seen that coming” and “I don’t need a crystal ball to see that this should be quite easy for you.”
One thing I would like to see in these get-the-data missions would be some indication of just what is all so important. It might be something urgent and desperate, like someone’s contact information. It might be something deeply personal, like the background on a missing relative. It might be something amusing, like a Victoria’s Secret catalog or a Christmas list. The Chef’s missions are wonderful examples of this.
3. Emerald Wishes
This mission was uncomfortable for me. Just last week it seems, I had been scoring accolades from The Jeweler. Now I was raiding his assets. It turns out that he has a mystic emerald Madame T wants, so that she can glimpse its secrets about the future. In this mission, we see that the Jeweler has some significant security and office assets he never told us about; and they put up a very spirited resistance. Then drop off the emerald and you are done.
More nice touches in this mish. When you drop off the emerald with a cutout, a guard remarks that he has heard of you, and compares your missions with his. Then a prediction from Madame T! “Wait…something is coming to me…I see you running many more fruitful missions for me. Nice work, Sugaree”.
One thing would have made this better. When you retrieve the emerald, your inventory just shows a box, the same generic display used for everything from tracking devices to PDAs. Some more representative artwork would have been wonderful for this.
4. Toil and Trouble
Hypatia, you may recall, has an awesome archive of all kinds of books and knowledge, and is always on the prowl for anything she does not already have. Well, it turns out that in order to unleash the power within the gem, Madame T. needs you to find an incantation in Hypatia’s archives, and then drop it off for an assistant to recite. I did this mission with a heavy heart, since Hypatia is the Exile closest to me in personality and appearance. But I was confident she had tape backup, and would only lose the physical form, not the data itself, so I went ahead.
After getting the incantation, you drop it off and go corral three assistants to help fire it off. Regrettably, they asked me to leave before running it. They were concerned for my safety. Or maybe they did not want their role-play disrupted.
5. Infosweep
Madame T. is overwhelmed by her visions from the gem and needs help from the Chessman (surely her polar opposite) in interpreting them. He has helpfully come downtown to meet you. This palaver, though, is interrupted by almost half a dozen competing operatives. Their attacks were well-coordinated, and the fight was not a breeze. On the way to the next mish location, to catch a data spike, I stopped to watch some Pit Vipers getting baptized in the pool, and was attacked! Of all the nerve! You can’t ever let your guard down!
And then it turned out that not one but two other teams were after the same data! Fortunately, they all attacked almost as soon as I got out of the elevator, which was considerate. After all, this way I didn’t have to go hunting for them. The massive data spike surged, overwhelmed the network, and miraculously fit right onto a single CD!
After I dropped it off, I hastened to the elevator, only to receive a high-urgency message from Madame T! She said, “Stop right where you are! Close your eyes. Concentrate….does anything feel different to you?” No, I confessed, just the warm heated air, fretting about agents descending on me. The she breathlessly whispered, “I see you succeeding in all your future endeavors”, and downloaded a “little something” into my inventory, bidding me to think of her when I used it. She signed off, and I walked out into the classical splendor of the Historical District, savoring the glorious, color-drenched full sun sky, with a dark blue sky and pink clouds vying for attention.
This was a great suite of missions. Well-written interactions, a distinct personality at the helm, interesting background, and neat connections with other Exiles, from The Chessman to Hyptia and The Jeweler. And the fact that Madame T. is a redpill means we should all be thinking big, big things for ourselves for the year to come.
And this is likely my last Sugar Shack for this year. Thanks to all who have read and responded. Most heartfelt thanks to my clan, The Collective, who have always supported and challenged and encouraged and listened to me. No one could ask for a better clan in the whole wide world. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to them and to all.
This mission review may be found at manifoldmischief.blogspot.com, along with previous reviews and other writings relevant to MxO.
After struggling in vain to find some emotional connection with the taciturn, impassive TickTock, it was a great relief to work with Madame T. She continually refers to predicting the future; it is a delightful irony that this future-teller is located in the Historic District (!), at -1033, 1, -653. When I met her the other night, I was surprised to see this bare-shouldered woman in shades, with wild dark hair, standing resolute in a driving snowstorm, like Anna Karenina, so rapt in future visions that she was oblivious to the storm of the present. Above her left breast burned a heart tattoo, suggesting a dissolute life eventually redirected towards the world of the spirit. I could tell I was going to like her, and I was not disappointed.
In many respects she is reminiscent of Hypatia, with her ravenous desire for knowledge. However, Hypatia always had a lust for the physical book itself, the material index of knowledge. Madame T., on the other hand, simply seeks the insight itself, as we shall see.
One very, very unusual aspect of Madame T. is that she is not an Exile! One contact in her second mission observes: “She certainly is pushy for a redpill”. Wow, what a prospect this raises: perhaps one day some of us playing the game might be able to retire as Neighborhood Mission Contacts…I can see myself sitting at a table in a Chinese restaurant in Kowloon someday, passing out assignments in the form of fortune cookies…. *shakes head* Back to the task at hand! I almost forgot to mention: I ran all her missions on hard.
1. Starting Points
She just needs some data from a nearby security office. She has “seen” that we would be working together apparently, and says “I have anticipated” “I predict”, etc. Unfortunately I found myself fighting a machine captain, which went against my principles and the precepts of Agent Gray and made me feel guilty. For a minute or two, anyway.
This mish is simple, and entertaining. When I dropped off the data with a cutout, she told me, “wow, one of Madame T’s predictions actually came true!”. (Interestingly, all the cutouts and assistants I these missions are succubus in appearance, a nice touch.) Then, at the end, Madame T. foresaw many more opportunities for cooperation. I loved this cute ending.
2. Inquiring Minds
Madame T. wants some data from an exile, and whether it is given willingly or not is strictly secondary. The principal, though, moves around a lot, and you have to run around to find him. Kill all his very tough guards, and he becomes quite accommodating, commenting sourly, “She certainly is pushy for a redpill”. There are many amusing touches in this mission, such as reading the principal’s email inbox, and Madame T saying “I guess I should have seen that coming” and “I don’t need a crystal ball to see that this should be quite easy for you.”
One thing I would like to see in these get-the-data missions would be some indication of just what is all so important. It might be something urgent and desperate, like someone’s contact information. It might be something deeply personal, like the background on a missing relative. It might be something amusing, like a Victoria’s Secret catalog or a Christmas list. The Chef’s missions are wonderful examples of this.
3. Emerald Wishes
This mission was uncomfortable for me. Just last week it seems, I had been scoring accolades from The Jeweler. Now I was raiding his assets. It turns out that he has a mystic emerald Madame T wants, so that she can glimpse its secrets about the future. In this mission, we see that the Jeweler has some significant security and office assets he never told us about; and they put up a very spirited resistance. Then drop off the emerald and you are done.
More nice touches in this mish. When you drop off the emerald with a cutout, a guard remarks that he has heard of you, and compares your missions with his. Then a prediction from Madame T! “Wait…something is coming to me…I see you running many more fruitful missions for me. Nice work, Sugaree”.
One thing would have made this better. When you retrieve the emerald, your inventory just shows a box, the same generic display used for everything from tracking devices to PDAs. Some more representative artwork would have been wonderful for this.
4. Toil and Trouble
Hypatia, you may recall, has an awesome archive of all kinds of books and knowledge, and is always on the prowl for anything she does not already have. Well, it turns out that in order to unleash the power within the gem, Madame T. needs you to find an incantation in Hypatia’s archives, and then drop it off for an assistant to recite. I did this mission with a heavy heart, since Hypatia is the Exile closest to me in personality and appearance. But I was confident she had tape backup, and would only lose the physical form, not the data itself, so I went ahead.
After getting the incantation, you drop it off and go corral three assistants to help fire it off. Regrettably, they asked me to leave before running it. They were concerned for my safety. Or maybe they did not want their role-play disrupted.
5. Infosweep
Madame T. is overwhelmed by her visions from the gem and needs help from the Chessman (surely her polar opposite) in interpreting them. He has helpfully come downtown to meet you. This palaver, though, is interrupted by almost half a dozen competing operatives. Their attacks were well-coordinated, and the fight was not a breeze. On the way to the next mish location, to catch a data spike, I stopped to watch some Pit Vipers getting baptized in the pool, and was attacked! Of all the nerve! You can’t ever let your guard down!
And then it turned out that not one but two other teams were after the same data! Fortunately, they all attacked almost as soon as I got out of the elevator, which was considerate. After all, this way I didn’t have to go hunting for them. The massive data spike surged, overwhelmed the network, and miraculously fit right onto a single CD!
After I dropped it off, I hastened to the elevator, only to receive a high-urgency message from Madame T! She said, “Stop right where you are! Close your eyes. Concentrate….does anything feel different to you?” No, I confessed, just the warm heated air, fretting about agents descending on me. The she breathlessly whispered, “I see you succeeding in all your future endeavors”, and downloaded a “little something” into my inventory, bidding me to think of her when I used it. She signed off, and I walked out into the classical splendor of the Historical District, savoring the glorious, color-drenched full sun sky, with a dark blue sky and pink clouds vying for attention.
This was a great suite of missions. Well-written interactions, a distinct personality at the helm, interesting background, and neat connections with other Exiles, from The Chessman to Hyptia and The Jeweler. And the fact that Madame T. is a redpill means we should all be thinking big, big things for ourselves for the year to come.
And this is likely my last Sugar Shack for this year. Thanks to all who have read and responded. Most heartfelt thanks to my clan, The Collective, who have always supported and challenged and encouraged and listened to me. No one could ask for a better clan in the whole wide world. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to them and to all.
This mission review may be found at manifoldmischief.blogspot.com, along with previous reviews and other writings relevant to MxO.
Sugar Shack 22: Exile Contact Missions: TickTock: Mechanical But Not A Machine
Sugar Shack 22: Exile Contact Missions: TickTock: Mechanical But Not A Machine
This is dedicated to Melt, the author of many a noteworthy text herself.
TickTock. You think of a ticking timebomb. Or a Swiss watch. Or background music on a game show. Something vaguely mechanical and autonomous. Perhaps this was what the devs were looking for when they were populating this part of downtown with Exiles; certainly this is what we have with Mr. T. This dweeb, who makes the Auditor look like David Chappelle, is perched on an exposed stairway corner in Maribeau, at -344, 13, -314. Since his first mission involves murder, it’s odd that he seems to be standing on a stairway corner, seemingly welcoming anyone with a gun who strolls by. Maybe he’s waiting for the popcorn vendor to return. Maybe he _is_ the popcorn vendor, trying to fake us out. Whatever the case may be, he is hardly dressed for the season, with a sports jacket over a T-shirt, and what seem to be flare slacks! As we see, he has some good schemes, but his heart does not seem to be in it. He hardly seems to respond to anything you do. How he made me yearn for the Seamstress and the Chef!
His missions were all run on Hard, and all center on a single scheme of his: infiltrating and then supporting an agent into the organization of Mr. Black.
1. Rolling Over
One of his men is going to defect to Mr. Black and needs to be killed. He is at the first location you go to, and he obligingly comes out to meet you. On Hard setting, he has the usual coterie of Elite Guards and Blood Nobles, all just begging for a Devastation Field. “Nice work” sums up TickTock’s rapturous response.
2. Trading Places
Here, we have a spy, inconspicuously named Zubenelgenubi, who needs to be prepared for insertion into Black’s organization. This is a notorious escort mission; the fledgling spy must be taken to a coder for some tagging. Miraculously, this escort mission was fight-free!! (Though I killed everything in my way, just to be on the safe side). And when I had dropped off the spy, TickTock got back to me, with:
“This could be a great opportunity for me, Sugaree”
I felt so happy to be a small part of his success.
3. Do the Wave
TickTock’s offices were raided, and you need to raid the raider, and insert a bogus RSI wavelength reading to protect the spy. It may be that the raid was a sucker ploy, intended to aid the insertion of dummy data into Black’s network, but this is never explained. Not all that tough, though after killing everyone onsite, the insertion of data is naturally not likely to go unnoticed by any staff with more intelligence than a starfish.
4. False Impressions
Get files from the spy, copy them, and get them back to the spy to replace. Actually, just have to upload them. As you “surreptitiously” enter the premises, you soon encounter a wailing bluepill. He may be safely ignored. A co-conspirator named Avarice decrypts and copies the disk; you just have to upload it. Surprisingly easy, overall.
5. Look Over Here
To aid the spy in replacing the purloined disk, you need to stir up some chaos and confusion as a distraction. What could be easier? Just go and kill everyone at one of Mr. Black’s offices, the same kind of subtle, unobtrusive thing you have done so many times before. And that’s it!
TickTock is intoxicated with delight at the end, and can’t control himself. He bursts out: “You have never let me down, Sugaree. I am impressed.” The passion in his voice was unmistakable. Yeah, that’s what I want to hear!
Now some people might make the argument that TickTock’s demeanor is perfect or a spymaster, never giving away anything and always seeming inscrutable. This is certainly true. But the professional spymaster seldom finds it necessary to resort to wetwork as easily and often as TickTock does. And very few things you do in this mission suite are likely to pass unnoticed.
So what interest is there for us in TickTock and his mechanical missions? XPs, some fights, and some loot, and a small insight into the world around Mr. Black which made me appreciate this premier Exile all the more. But like the clock his name emulates, TickTock’s missions exude order and system, without soul or spirit.
This mission review may be found at manifoldmischief.blogspot.com, along with previous reviews and other writings relevant to MxO.
This is dedicated to Melt, the author of many a noteworthy text herself.
TickTock. You think of a ticking timebomb. Or a Swiss watch. Or background music on a game show. Something vaguely mechanical and autonomous. Perhaps this was what the devs were looking for when they were populating this part of downtown with Exiles; certainly this is what we have with Mr. T. This dweeb, who makes the Auditor look like David Chappelle, is perched on an exposed stairway corner in Maribeau, at -344, 13, -314. Since his first mission involves murder, it’s odd that he seems to be standing on a stairway corner, seemingly welcoming anyone with a gun who strolls by. Maybe he’s waiting for the popcorn vendor to return. Maybe he _is_ the popcorn vendor, trying to fake us out. Whatever the case may be, he is hardly dressed for the season, with a sports jacket over a T-shirt, and what seem to be flare slacks! As we see, he has some good schemes, but his heart does not seem to be in it. He hardly seems to respond to anything you do. How he made me yearn for the Seamstress and the Chef!
His missions were all run on Hard, and all center on a single scheme of his: infiltrating and then supporting an agent into the organization of Mr. Black.
1. Rolling Over
One of his men is going to defect to Mr. Black and needs to be killed. He is at the first location you go to, and he obligingly comes out to meet you. On Hard setting, he has the usual coterie of Elite Guards and Blood Nobles, all just begging for a Devastation Field. “Nice work” sums up TickTock’s rapturous response.
2. Trading Places
Here, we have a spy, inconspicuously named Zubenelgenubi, who needs to be prepared for insertion into Black’s organization. This is a notorious escort mission; the fledgling spy must be taken to a coder for some tagging. Miraculously, this escort mission was fight-free!! (Though I killed everything in my way, just to be on the safe side). And when I had dropped off the spy, TickTock got back to me, with:
“This could be a great opportunity for me, Sugaree”
I felt so happy to be a small part of his success.
3. Do the Wave
TickTock’s offices were raided, and you need to raid the raider, and insert a bogus RSI wavelength reading to protect the spy. It may be that the raid was a sucker ploy, intended to aid the insertion of dummy data into Black’s network, but this is never explained. Not all that tough, though after killing everyone onsite, the insertion of data is naturally not likely to go unnoticed by any staff with more intelligence than a starfish.
4. False Impressions
Get files from the spy, copy them, and get them back to the spy to replace. Actually, just have to upload them. As you “surreptitiously” enter the premises, you soon encounter a wailing bluepill. He may be safely ignored. A co-conspirator named Avarice decrypts and copies the disk; you just have to upload it. Surprisingly easy, overall.
5. Look Over Here
To aid the spy in replacing the purloined disk, you need to stir up some chaos and confusion as a distraction. What could be easier? Just go and kill everyone at one of Mr. Black’s offices, the same kind of subtle, unobtrusive thing you have done so many times before. And that’s it!
TickTock is intoxicated with delight at the end, and can’t control himself. He bursts out: “You have never let me down, Sugaree. I am impressed.” The passion in his voice was unmistakable. Yeah, that’s what I want to hear!
Now some people might make the argument that TickTock’s demeanor is perfect or a spymaster, never giving away anything and always seeming inscrutable. This is certainly true. But the professional spymaster seldom finds it necessary to resort to wetwork as easily and often as TickTock does. And very few things you do in this mission suite are likely to pass unnoticed.
So what interest is there for us in TickTock and his mechanical missions? XPs, some fights, and some loot, and a small insight into the world around Mr. Black which made me appreciate this premier Exile all the more. But like the clock his name emulates, TickTock’s missions exude order and system, without soul or spirit.
This mission review may be found at manifoldmischief.blogspot.com, along with previous reviews and other writings relevant to MxO.
Monday, December 19, 2005
Sugar Shack 22: Exile Contact Missions: The Jeweler: Christmas Shopping with the Best
Sugar Shack 22: Exile Contact Missions: The Jeweler: Christmas Shopping with the Best
For Christmas, my thoughts turned to my shopping list, with its many stops in many malls. To make up for the jewelry which would not be coming my way next week, I decided to seek the next best thing: an Exile named The Jeweler.
He is to be found in a very well-appointed upper room at Club Cyclo in Morrell (-1430, 263, -244; take the club elevator to the 31st floor). I had the strong feeling of entering his world as I passed the burly guards, opened the double doors, and walked on in. He stood in the middle, with a crammed shelf of reference books behind him. Nearby there was a comfortable sofa, with plants, decorative vases, and a delightful grandfather clock. A “Free Zion” poster on a wall may have accounted for the fact that all the trouble in this mission suite came from Merovingian operatives. I have to say, the decoration in this game has come a long, long way, and is definitely too little praised. The only blemish was a defective ceiling fan, with only a “V” of blades, not even moving.
Amidst this elegance, the Jeweler seems like a diamond in the very rough. He speaks like a refugee from Brooklyn, brusque and distrustful one minute, and cajoling and laughing the next. Sometimes you can take the gem out of the dirt, but you can’t take the dirt out of the gem.
1. The Stones
In this first, show-your-worth mission, you get some uncut diamonds from his assistant and deliver them. I expected allusions to Mick Jagger and company, but none was forthcoming. After you receive the stones, there’s an NPC who attacks you (numbers depending on party size); a little skill gets you past the threat with ease. Skill not being my forte, I of course died the first time.
2. Just a Few Questions
Of the five Jeweler mishes, the second one is the stand-out. Initially a simple escort mission, it became one of the two or three most difficult missions I have ever undertaken. I failed repeatedly at it solo, and now believe that solo it is undoable. Only when I had a full mission team of outstanding players (Sattakan, Illyria1, Darklordmax, Shread, and Alysha) was it completable, and then only after several tries. Few other missions take the planning and strategy that this one does, believe me.
****SPOILER ALERT BEGINS****
Here’s why. You’re tasked with bringing in the assistant from the first mission for some questioning. The gems you picked up were bogus, and the Jeweler wants to find out what’s going on. The assistant, understandably, has surrounded himself with 6-8 bodyguards. Strangely, they show little interest in you, and seem quite bored when you talk to them about their client. In fact, you cannot engage them. When the assistant agrees to come with you, though, they all wake up and instantly start attacking. The client quickly falls in the crossfire. And AOE attacks seem to bring him down as well; hold off on Devastation Fields and Code Nukes.
The second time I tried this, I entered one office and set off the alarms, so I could control the terms of engagement. This set the guards to hostile, and I defeated them piecemeal, working my way to the jeweler’s office, using Ballista build rather than AOEs. This brought me to the final guard in the final room with the assistant jeweler. As soon as I spoke to him, however, the guard attacked, and the jeweler died in the crossfire. **bleep**!
But that’s not all! It got worse! Less then ten seconds after this, my operator said there were agents closing in on my location! By the time I reached an elevator, one had already materialized and winged me on the way out! Then he chased me out of the building! I hyperjumped, looking for a hardline, and he was everywhere I came down, taking a big bite out of me each time! I barely made it to a hardline and the blessed loading area, looking more like a piece of Swiss cheese than runner-up for the Ms. Sexiest Redpill!
At Stamos I sat on a bench to stop hyperventilating and re-consider my strategy. And I would still be sitting there, too, if I had not run into an exceptionally talented, fierce group of people (Sattakan, Illyria1, Darklordmax, Shread, and Alysha) who came to my aid. We attacked in a tidal wave of mayhem, quickly obliterating the guards. Then we cleaned out the lobby guards. But the instant I exited the building with the jeweler in tow, three or four more Merv mercenaries appeared out of nowhere and killed our man. Damn!
****SPOILER ALERT ENDS****
Eventually, through careful coordination, we got our client to the Jeweler’s interrogation team, some happy-go-lucky blood-drinkers. Then the client tried to chicken out. But by then it was too late. And good riddance!
3. Bright Shiny Objects
It turns out that the assistant you bagged last time had nothing to do with this! It was _his_ supplier that caused the problem, and in this simple mish you dish out doom to the duplicitous diamond double-dealer. At the end, the Jeweler is all smiles, and promises to take me out for a night on the town. I wish!
4. Fair Payment
This is “prime time”, and simple enough: getting payment from Exile Anti-M for a special piece of jewelry for her to give Beryl, Argon’s alleged girlfriend. You run into Anti-M (she looks as she did when I ran her missions ages ago) and she helps dispatch a few of the thugs who seek to break in and steal the payment. Anti-M seems quite involved in this mish, apparently not totally convinced of your reliability. Or maybe she just enjoyed the buzz, and wanted a good story to tell Beryl. She reached the final bad before you, in fact, and dispatches him on her own. You have to wonder how she gets around so quickly; the cell phone on a desk with her in the end-game room seems to have something to do with this. If only…if only…
5. A Girl’s Best Friend
Oddly, no fighting is really necessary for this final mission. Here, you just drop off the ring from Anti-M to Beryl. This goes fairly smoothly, except for Beryl initially giving us the wrong address; we seemed to stumble into a Blood Nobles Promise-Keepers convention. Eventually the delivery was completed. When you get here, don’t be in a hurry; Beryl’s pleas for the box are wonderful; I felt like I was talking to someone after my own heart. She thought it might be a new dress or the handmade chocolates she had ordered… She’s my kind of Exile! She was thrilled with the ring, and planned to wear it immediately, just to drive Argon nuts. You go, girl!
And with this, the Jeweler’s entrance to the big leagues of power and influence seems assured, or so he tells us. With his talent, he crows, he won’t need luck! And when he’s running the city, he’ll remember all the little people! Like us!
So what was memorable about The Jeweler?
- One of the hardest missions I have ever done, on a par with the Coroner’s first one, as done back in beta. Try this by yourself if you don’t believe me! Much delightful, unexpected challenge! Well, unexpected, anyway. The solution to the guards (using the alarm) was non-intuitive, and quite nice.
- The writing for the secondary NPCs was excellent.
- The phone interruptions from The Jeweler at various points along the way. The way he maddeningly swung from bluster to cajoling was great. He told me he loved me!
- The Jeweler’s setting was very well laid-out, much better than the usual pimp-on-a-corner, thug-in-a-club stuff. Even the broken ceiling-fan seemed cute.
Incorporating Beryl and Anti-M and Argon and their ménage-a-trois was great. Beryl was well-written, as was Anti-M.
- How _did_ Anti-M get around so much and so fast? Apparently from the cell phone we found near her in mish #4; this opens up some exciting possibilities about what Exiles can do.
- The way the Jeweler jovially blows you off at the end “I’ll be good to all the little people” indeed!
What could be better?
- The business card I was given in mish #1 could have had some text on it, described in the details, describing me generically (“another Trainman wannabee; see if this one can handle something with training-wheels before we assign anything that matters” or “This one has a hair-trigger temper and some powerful friends. Keep everything on a professional level.”).
- Other Exiles gave me stuff at the end of a mish. Usually it was junk, but I always figured it was the thought that counted. Maybe a nice ring or bracelet or earrings, or a brooch, or necklace or diadem or nose ring or ankle chain would have been thoughtful. Would that have been so hard? Something that goes better with a Red Lotus Blouse than, you know, a fly-in-amber! Something suitable for a night out at Succubus, like dark emeralds in a platinum setting for a bracelet…I mean, hey, it's Christmas!
- Maybe some customers hanging out, outside his office, chattering about this or that piece of jewelry. Then, when you go in, they say “Hey! No cutting in line!” and they reach for guns, before the guards at the door say “Cut it, you clowns, this one works here”.
- If we ever get more clothes or add jewelry, his missions would be a great way to start their distribution.
- His breezy condescension wore thin after a while.
- The opposition in this mission was all Merovingian. Imagine if one of their emissaries had approached us during the missions at some point and offered us a better deal to betray the Jeweler…with veiled threats if we did not acquiesce…
This review may be found at manifoldmischief.blogspot.com, along with previous reviews and other writings relevant to MxO.
For Christmas, my thoughts turned to my shopping list, with its many stops in many malls. To make up for the jewelry which would not be coming my way next week, I decided to seek the next best thing: an Exile named The Jeweler.
He is to be found in a very well-appointed upper room at Club Cyclo in Morrell (-1430, 263, -244; take the club elevator to the 31st floor). I had the strong feeling of entering his world as I passed the burly guards, opened the double doors, and walked on in. He stood in the middle, with a crammed shelf of reference books behind him. Nearby there was a comfortable sofa, with plants, decorative vases, and a delightful grandfather clock. A “Free Zion” poster on a wall may have accounted for the fact that all the trouble in this mission suite came from Merovingian operatives. I have to say, the decoration in this game has come a long, long way, and is definitely too little praised. The only blemish was a defective ceiling fan, with only a “V” of blades, not even moving.
Amidst this elegance, the Jeweler seems like a diamond in the very rough. He speaks like a refugee from Brooklyn, brusque and distrustful one minute, and cajoling and laughing the next. Sometimes you can take the gem out of the dirt, but you can’t take the dirt out of the gem.
1. The Stones
In this first, show-your-worth mission, you get some uncut diamonds from his assistant and deliver them. I expected allusions to Mick Jagger and company, but none was forthcoming. After you receive the stones, there’s an NPC who attacks you (numbers depending on party size); a little skill gets you past the threat with ease. Skill not being my forte, I of course died the first time.
2. Just a Few Questions
Of the five Jeweler mishes, the second one is the stand-out. Initially a simple escort mission, it became one of the two or three most difficult missions I have ever undertaken. I failed repeatedly at it solo, and now believe that solo it is undoable. Only when I had a full mission team of outstanding players (Sattakan, Illyria1, Darklordmax, Shread, and Alysha) was it completable, and then only after several tries. Few other missions take the planning and strategy that this one does, believe me.
****SPOILER ALERT BEGINS****
Here’s why. You’re tasked with bringing in the assistant from the first mission for some questioning. The gems you picked up were bogus, and the Jeweler wants to find out what’s going on. The assistant, understandably, has surrounded himself with 6-8 bodyguards. Strangely, they show little interest in you, and seem quite bored when you talk to them about their client. In fact, you cannot engage them. When the assistant agrees to come with you, though, they all wake up and instantly start attacking. The client quickly falls in the crossfire. And AOE attacks seem to bring him down as well; hold off on Devastation Fields and Code Nukes.
The second time I tried this, I entered one office and set off the alarms, so I could control the terms of engagement. This set the guards to hostile, and I defeated them piecemeal, working my way to the jeweler’s office, using Ballista build rather than AOEs. This brought me to the final guard in the final room with the assistant jeweler. As soon as I spoke to him, however, the guard attacked, and the jeweler died in the crossfire. **bleep**!
But that’s not all! It got worse! Less then ten seconds after this, my operator said there were agents closing in on my location! By the time I reached an elevator, one had already materialized and winged me on the way out! Then he chased me out of the building! I hyperjumped, looking for a hardline, and he was everywhere I came down, taking a big bite out of me each time! I barely made it to a hardline and the blessed loading area, looking more like a piece of Swiss cheese than runner-up for the Ms. Sexiest Redpill!
At Stamos I sat on a bench to stop hyperventilating and re-consider my strategy. And I would still be sitting there, too, if I had not run into an exceptionally talented, fierce group of people (Sattakan, Illyria1, Darklordmax, Shread, and Alysha) who came to my aid. We attacked in a tidal wave of mayhem, quickly obliterating the guards. Then we cleaned out the lobby guards. But the instant I exited the building with the jeweler in tow, three or four more Merv mercenaries appeared out of nowhere and killed our man. Damn!
****SPOILER ALERT ENDS****
Eventually, through careful coordination, we got our client to the Jeweler’s interrogation team, some happy-go-lucky blood-drinkers. Then the client tried to chicken out. But by then it was too late. And good riddance!
3. Bright Shiny Objects
It turns out that the assistant you bagged last time had nothing to do with this! It was _his_ supplier that caused the problem, and in this simple mish you dish out doom to the duplicitous diamond double-dealer. At the end, the Jeweler is all smiles, and promises to take me out for a night on the town. I wish!
4. Fair Payment
This is “prime time”, and simple enough: getting payment from Exile Anti-M for a special piece of jewelry for her to give Beryl, Argon’s alleged girlfriend. You run into Anti-M (she looks as she did when I ran her missions ages ago) and she helps dispatch a few of the thugs who seek to break in and steal the payment. Anti-M seems quite involved in this mish, apparently not totally convinced of your reliability. Or maybe she just enjoyed the buzz, and wanted a good story to tell Beryl. She reached the final bad before you, in fact, and dispatches him on her own. You have to wonder how she gets around so quickly; the cell phone on a desk with her in the end-game room seems to have something to do with this. If only…if only…
5. A Girl’s Best Friend
Oddly, no fighting is really necessary for this final mission. Here, you just drop off the ring from Anti-M to Beryl. This goes fairly smoothly, except for Beryl initially giving us the wrong address; we seemed to stumble into a Blood Nobles Promise-Keepers convention. Eventually the delivery was completed. When you get here, don’t be in a hurry; Beryl’s pleas for the box are wonderful; I felt like I was talking to someone after my own heart. She thought it might be a new dress or the handmade chocolates she had ordered… She’s my kind of Exile! She was thrilled with the ring, and planned to wear it immediately, just to drive Argon nuts. You go, girl!
And with this, the Jeweler’s entrance to the big leagues of power and influence seems assured, or so he tells us. With his talent, he crows, he won’t need luck! And when he’s running the city, he’ll remember all the little people! Like us!
So what was memorable about The Jeweler?
- One of the hardest missions I have ever done, on a par with the Coroner’s first one, as done back in beta. Try this by yourself if you don’t believe me! Much delightful, unexpected challenge! Well, unexpected, anyway. The solution to the guards (using the alarm) was non-intuitive, and quite nice.
- The writing for the secondary NPCs was excellent.
- The phone interruptions from The Jeweler at various points along the way. The way he maddeningly swung from bluster to cajoling was great. He told me he loved me!
- The Jeweler’s setting was very well laid-out, much better than the usual pimp-on-a-corner, thug-in-a-club stuff. Even the broken ceiling-fan seemed cute.
Incorporating Beryl and Anti-M and Argon and their ménage-a-trois was great. Beryl was well-written, as was Anti-M.
- How _did_ Anti-M get around so much and so fast? Apparently from the cell phone we found near her in mish #4; this opens up some exciting possibilities about what Exiles can do.
- The way the Jeweler jovially blows you off at the end “I’ll be good to all the little people” indeed!
What could be better?
- The business card I was given in mish #1 could have had some text on it, described in the details, describing me generically (“another Trainman wannabee; see if this one can handle something with training-wheels before we assign anything that matters” or “This one has a hair-trigger temper and some powerful friends. Keep everything on a professional level.”).
- Other Exiles gave me stuff at the end of a mish. Usually it was junk, but I always figured it was the thought that counted. Maybe a nice ring or bracelet or earrings, or a brooch, or necklace or diadem or nose ring or ankle chain would have been thoughtful. Would that have been so hard? Something that goes better with a Red Lotus Blouse than, you know, a fly-in-amber! Something suitable for a night out at Succubus, like dark emeralds in a platinum setting for a bracelet…I mean, hey, it's Christmas!
- Maybe some customers hanging out, outside his office, chattering about this or that piece of jewelry. Then, when you go in, they say “Hey! No cutting in line!” and they reach for guns, before the guards at the door say “Cut it, you clowns, this one works here”.
- If we ever get more clothes or add jewelry, his missions would be a great way to start their distribution.
- His breezy condescension wore thin after a while.
- The opposition in this mission was all Merovingian. Imagine if one of their emissaries had approached us during the missions at some point and offered us a better deal to betray the Jeweler…with veiled threats if we did not acquiesce…
This review may be found at manifoldmischief.blogspot.com, along with previous reviews and other writings relevant to MxO.
Saturday, December 17, 2005
Sugar Shack 21: Making QA Live Up To Its Potential
Sugar Shack 21: Making QA Live Up To Its Potential
As Walrus pointed out in locking a recent thread, CR2.0 is not the only thing to be tested on the QA server. This came as a surprise to me, even though I am not a PvPer at all. But it makes me wonder if there is a perception gap, or a gulf of expectations, between the people running the QA project, and people who will be on the QA server. As a result, if people log on and just PvP, or just do PBs or just dance and pray for cake,
most likely we'll all be missing something the devs have been working on and need feedback with.
So, I'd like to suggest some way for the devs to task players with specific tasks to try and make sure that things work correctly. These are kind of like test scripts. There might be tasks like trying an emote (like /afk!!) or trying one type of weapon against a mob or a boss. Or trying to email various types of items (common, boss drop, consumable, code frag, singleton, etc.), etc. Maybe my examples suck, but you get the idea.
The other benefit of this is that it involves the RPers and non-PvP types. Lots of people will be testing the daylights out of the combat system. But many of us would rather test other things, and there must be a lot of these other things which will need testing.
Clearly business as usual will test some features of the game. But it may be that there are other, more subtle things, that we need to check out too. So, if there were some way for the devs to ask people to test specific things, I think it would make the QA time more productive. The tasks might be posted on a daily basis in a QA forum, or they might be sent by email to people ingame. Or Flash Traffic could be used again. No window dressing for ingame world consistency would be needed for this.
My shortest Sugar Shack ever!
This post may be found at manifoldmischief.blogspot.com, along with neighborhood mission reviews and other writings relevant to MxO.
As Walrus pointed out in locking a recent thread, CR2.0 is not the only thing to be tested on the QA server. This came as a surprise to me, even though I am not a PvPer at all. But it makes me wonder if there is a perception gap, or a gulf of expectations, between the people running the QA project, and people who will be on the QA server. As a result, if people log on and just PvP, or just do PBs or just dance and pray for cake,
most likely we'll all be missing something the devs have been working on and need feedback with.
So, I'd like to suggest some way for the devs to task players with specific tasks to try and make sure that things work correctly. These are kind of like test scripts. There might be tasks like trying an emote (like /afk!!) or trying one type of weapon against a mob or a boss. Or trying to email various types of items (common, boss drop, consumable, code frag, singleton, etc.), etc. Maybe my examples suck, but you get the idea.
The other benefit of this is that it involves the RPers and non-PvP types. Lots of people will be testing the daylights out of the combat system. But many of us would rather test other things, and there must be a lot of these other things which will need testing.
Clearly business as usual will test some features of the game. But it may be that there are other, more subtle things, that we need to check out too. So, if there were some way for the devs to ask people to test specific things, I think it would make the QA time more productive. The tasks might be posted on a daily basis in a QA forum, or they might be sent by email to people ingame. Or Flash Traffic could be used again. No window dressing for ingame world consistency would be needed for this.
My shortest Sugar Shack ever!
This post may be found at manifoldmischief.blogspot.com, along with neighborhood mission reviews and other writings relevant to MxO.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Sugar Shack 20: Exile Contact Missions: The Auditor: Spare Me!
Sugar Shack 20: Exile Contact Missions: The Auditor: Spare Me!
Some Exiles run by whim, like Pepper. Others have some personal passion, like The Chef. Other seem to have no soul at all, and indeed, they would make better machines than Exiles. The immensely intense, immensely shallow Auditor is one of the latter. This steely-eyed, grey-haired, drably-dressed Exile may be found at the lonely foot of a stairway at Union Hill, at 203, 1, 711. There he stares forward into space, waiting for someone to do his bidding. He has little to recommend him in the personality or charm department, and as a result he keeps emphasizing how important his work is, and how the whole Matrix could come crashing down if you don’t help him. Like you’ve never heard this before!
1. By the Numbers
The Auditor apparently concerns himself with the flow of resources and their management in the Matrix. That is to say, he takes the exciting and makes it dull. His first mish is no exception: “The numbers are all I care about. Everything else is just static in the Matrix….Here’s the address. Get moving.” How personable! Just get and upload two disks from a single location. How could it be simpler?
2. Throwing a Disk
To better understand discrepancies in the matrix, he needs more data. Go get two more disks. There are some fights, and you need the help of a bluepill to get what you want. But that’s it. It’s all he can imagine. You know the type: “everything that counts can be counted, and if it can’t be counted then it doesn’t count”.
3. For a Few Disks More
There “could be a major system resource leak. This leak could turn into a flood if action is not taken. I just need one more data point to make my final determination. Go get it for me”.
By this point I was wondering if this was really an auditor, or just a small time nut trying to inflate his own self-importance. But he did pay his bills.
You have to rescue some bluepill’s girlfriend before he will give you the data you need. This is maddeningly difficult, because when you are escorting the bluepill, you are subject to one major NPC attack, which you expect, but also from random gang members and even security guards. This is best done with friends, since one stray ricochet instantly brings down the woman and aborts the mission. It took me seven attempts to get this done, and I only completed it at all thanks to the awesome help of Sattakan, who cleared away the lobby guards, spontaneous attacks, and three groups of gangmembers. I had to escort the frail girlfriend almost 400 meters through all these threats.
4. Resource Management
For some peculiar reason, The Auditor has assets, and they are under attack. You arrive in time to find many bluepills slain, and data taken. One bluepill gasps, “The data…save the data” and then falls to the floor; apparently the Auditor found people of a like frame of mind to work with him.
5. Stop the Leak
The leak, it turns out, is no accident; someone is creating the discrepancy for his own purposes. “I cannot allow this.” For this final mish, you need an artifact from the Sculptress. Well, three, actually. They must be given to three people for the full effect. The first delivery is a snap. In the second one, you have to fight your way in, with some Merv allies. However these “allies” are worthless, and do nothing to hinder those who would kill you. Several times they walked right past me during fights! The third one features a red herring, and a slightly more serviceable ally. The most notable part is that the third recipient of these statues stands with one foot in a wastebasket, oblivious! No wonder the Matrix is in danger!
In the end, you get some thanks, and that is about it. Not much considering you have saved the Matrix! The malefactor behind the scheme remains a mystery. Perhaps a future installment will see you bringing the fight to him/her. It’s the perfect tie in for some story-line events later. Perhaps some mad Zionists are seeking to destabilize the whole matrix…oh, wait, that’s already been done, right?
Summing up, the Auditor is weak in the personality, wit, and charm department. His missions reflect his personality. Who would have thought that saving the whole matrix could seem like such a tedious chore?
Some Exiles run by whim, like Pepper. Others have some personal passion, like The Chef. Other seem to have no soul at all, and indeed, they would make better machines than Exiles. The immensely intense, immensely shallow Auditor is one of the latter. This steely-eyed, grey-haired, drably-dressed Exile may be found at the lonely foot of a stairway at Union Hill, at 203, 1, 711. There he stares forward into space, waiting for someone to do his bidding. He has little to recommend him in the personality or charm department, and as a result he keeps emphasizing how important his work is, and how the whole Matrix could come crashing down if you don’t help him. Like you’ve never heard this before!
1. By the Numbers
The Auditor apparently concerns himself with the flow of resources and their management in the Matrix. That is to say, he takes the exciting and makes it dull. His first mish is no exception: “The numbers are all I care about. Everything else is just static in the Matrix….Here’s the address. Get moving.” How personable! Just get and upload two disks from a single location. How could it be simpler?
2. Throwing a Disk
To better understand discrepancies in the matrix, he needs more data. Go get two more disks. There are some fights, and you need the help of a bluepill to get what you want. But that’s it. It’s all he can imagine. You know the type: “everything that counts can be counted, and if it can’t be counted then it doesn’t count”.
3. For a Few Disks More
There “could be a major system resource leak. This leak could turn into a flood if action is not taken. I just need one more data point to make my final determination. Go get it for me”.
By this point I was wondering if this was really an auditor, or just a small time nut trying to inflate his own self-importance. But he did pay his bills.
You have to rescue some bluepill’s girlfriend before he will give you the data you need. This is maddeningly difficult, because when you are escorting the bluepill, you are subject to one major NPC attack, which you expect, but also from random gang members and even security guards. This is best done with friends, since one stray ricochet instantly brings down the woman and aborts the mission. It took me seven attempts to get this done, and I only completed it at all thanks to the awesome help of Sattakan, who cleared away the lobby guards, spontaneous attacks, and three groups of gangmembers. I had to escort the frail girlfriend almost 400 meters through all these threats.
4. Resource Management
For some peculiar reason, The Auditor has assets, and they are under attack. You arrive in time to find many bluepills slain, and data taken. One bluepill gasps, “The data…save the data” and then falls to the floor; apparently the Auditor found people of a like frame of mind to work with him.
5. Stop the Leak
The leak, it turns out, is no accident; someone is creating the discrepancy for his own purposes. “I cannot allow this.” For this final mish, you need an artifact from the Sculptress. Well, three, actually. They must be given to three people for the full effect. The first delivery is a snap. In the second one, you have to fight your way in, with some Merv allies. However these “allies” are worthless, and do nothing to hinder those who would kill you. Several times they walked right past me during fights! The third one features a red herring, and a slightly more serviceable ally. The most notable part is that the third recipient of these statues stands with one foot in a wastebasket, oblivious! No wonder the Matrix is in danger!
In the end, you get some thanks, and that is about it. Not much considering you have saved the Matrix! The malefactor behind the scheme remains a mystery. Perhaps a future installment will see you bringing the fight to him/her. It’s the perfect tie in for some story-line events later. Perhaps some mad Zionists are seeking to destabilize the whole matrix…oh, wait, that’s already been done, right?
Summing up, the Auditor is weak in the personality, wit, and charm department. His missions reflect his personality. Who would have thought that saving the whole matrix could seem like such a tedious chore?
Sunday, December 11, 2005
Sugar Shack 19: Mission Reviews: Pepper: Hopeless Klutz
Sugar Shack 19: Mission Reviews: Pepper: Hopeless Klutz
Most Exiles have a profession, or a sense of mission; think of the Coroner (but not for long!) or The Chef. Pepper has neither. She has resources, and she has intelligence, but seems to be governed by whims, with no discernable strategy in her behavior. Obviously she is a dangerous business partner. If she gets mad at Silver this week, and sends you to sabotage his server, who’s to say she won’t do the same thing to you next week? She likes you at the end, but who knows how long that will last?
1. Petty Retribution
The raison d’etre for this revenge against Silver is not clear; apparently she regards him as stingy. It seems trivial and pointless. Steal a virus and load it into Silver’s server. Apparently she is too lazy, or thinks too little of Silver, to make the effort to design a virus herself. This seems like the kind of easy mission you are given to prove your ability and trustworthiness. It certainly seems to have no other point!
2. Speed Kills
Pepper has heard of some Exiles smuggling in speed-enhancing algorithms from Machine City, and she wants some for her Lab to look at. What? She has a lab? Who would want to work for her? The first site has nothing except some interesting bluepills to talk to. The second site has a stern taskmaster who must be satisfied before he gives you the schematics you desire. However, things do not go as smoothly as we might have expected.
3. Unexpected Consequences
The speed-boosters have driven test subjects nuts, and you have to put them down before they kill all of Pepper’s techies! Maybe there are some things that Exiles were not meant to know! The problems is less simple than it seems: a couple of the ailing subjects have fled, and after saving Pepper’s scientists, you need to track down the fugitives. The fugitive is not nutso affected though, just hallucinating people he cares about. The whole experiment was doomed from the word go, turns out.
4. Hazard Pay
With that crisis past, Pepper’s attention returns to her other business operations. It turns out that a courier has gone missing, and you need to track him down. A file purporting to help you find him turns out to be corrupted, and you need to get it reconstructed from backup. A security breach at Pepper’s labs has affected your ability to complete the mission! Eventually the courier is found, dead, and the package he was carrying is retrieved and delivered. Once more, things have gone way awry for Pepper. One of her scientists complimented me on having saved the techies in the last mission; I always appreciate tight continuity like this.
5. The Swap
It emerges that the “speed” code carried a Trojan virus; hence its unexpected toxicity. The question is, who put it there? An informant promises to make all clear if his palm is crossed with a special delivery. Your task is to complete the exchange and relay the information. When the secret enemy is revealed, you are tasked with the complete, pitiless destruction of her and her gang. At the end Pepper concludes that “you’ve been a great help to me, Sugaree”, and downloaded a fine purple coat to compensate me for all my troubles. In true Pepper fashion, though, it went to the wrong person.
As the “enemy” dies, Pepper muses how sad this was, since this exile was one of her most promising recruits. It’s hard not to wonder if someone had planted disinformation, knowing how gullible and intemperate she is. And in every mission, something seems to go wrong; pepper always seems in over her head, needing you to straighten things out. She doesn’t pay you enough! But there are many witty touches in the writing for this, and the lines for Exiles and thugs.
Roukan, Black, Shread, Zurish, and BrightAngel were a tremendous help with this. And BA leveled from the last mish!
This review may be found at manifoldmischief.blogspot.com, along with other reviews and writings relevant to MxO.
Most Exiles have a profession, or a sense of mission; think of the Coroner (but not for long!) or The Chef. Pepper has neither. She has resources, and she has intelligence, but seems to be governed by whims, with no discernable strategy in her behavior. Obviously she is a dangerous business partner. If she gets mad at Silver this week, and sends you to sabotage his server, who’s to say she won’t do the same thing to you next week? She likes you at the end, but who knows how long that will last?
1. Petty Retribution
The raison d’etre for this revenge against Silver is not clear; apparently she regards him as stingy. It seems trivial and pointless. Steal a virus and load it into Silver’s server. Apparently she is too lazy, or thinks too little of Silver, to make the effort to design a virus herself. This seems like the kind of easy mission you are given to prove your ability and trustworthiness. It certainly seems to have no other point!
2. Speed Kills
Pepper has heard of some Exiles smuggling in speed-enhancing algorithms from Machine City, and she wants some for her Lab to look at. What? She has a lab? Who would want to work for her? The first site has nothing except some interesting bluepills to talk to. The second site has a stern taskmaster who must be satisfied before he gives you the schematics you desire. However, things do not go as smoothly as we might have expected.
3. Unexpected Consequences
The speed-boosters have driven test subjects nuts, and you have to put them down before they kill all of Pepper’s techies! Maybe there are some things that Exiles were not meant to know! The problems is less simple than it seems: a couple of the ailing subjects have fled, and after saving Pepper’s scientists, you need to track down the fugitives. The fugitive is not nutso affected though, just hallucinating people he cares about. The whole experiment was doomed from the word go, turns out.
4. Hazard Pay
With that crisis past, Pepper’s attention returns to her other business operations. It turns out that a courier has gone missing, and you need to track him down. A file purporting to help you find him turns out to be corrupted, and you need to get it reconstructed from backup. A security breach at Pepper’s labs has affected your ability to complete the mission! Eventually the courier is found, dead, and the package he was carrying is retrieved and delivered. Once more, things have gone way awry for Pepper. One of her scientists complimented me on having saved the techies in the last mission; I always appreciate tight continuity like this.
5. The Swap
It emerges that the “speed” code carried a Trojan virus; hence its unexpected toxicity. The question is, who put it there? An informant promises to make all clear if his palm is crossed with a special delivery. Your task is to complete the exchange and relay the information. When the secret enemy is revealed, you are tasked with the complete, pitiless destruction of her and her gang. At the end Pepper concludes that “you’ve been a great help to me, Sugaree”, and downloaded a fine purple coat to compensate me for all my troubles. In true Pepper fashion, though, it went to the wrong person.
As the “enemy” dies, Pepper muses how sad this was, since this exile was one of her most promising recruits. It’s hard not to wonder if someone had planted disinformation, knowing how gullible and intemperate she is. And in every mission, something seems to go wrong; pepper always seems in over her head, needing you to straighten things out. She doesn’t pay you enough! But there are many witty touches in the writing for this, and the lines for Exiles and thugs.
Roukan, Black, Shread, Zurish, and BrightAngel were a tremendous help with this. And BA leveled from the last mish!
This review may be found at manifoldmischief.blogspot.com, along with other reviews and writings relevant to MxO.
Saturday, December 10, 2005
Sugar Shack 18: Exile Contact Missions: What Makes One Good?
What are the success factors for Exile Contact Missions? I’ve done more than a dozen and a half mission suites, and am starting to reach some conclusions about them. I’ll be accentuating the positive down below: what works well, and what offers opportunities for improvement.
After doing 18 or so Exiles’ mish suites, I’ve noticed some things about the ones I really enjoyed, and the ones that I barely remember. I’d like to share these below, or the forum’s discussion, and maybe to inspire some in a position to be inspired. Feel free to forward these to anyone in the LESIG.
1. The Personality of the Principal. Think of Hypatia, The Chef, or The Seamstress, Mr. Po. Long after I forgot exactly what I had done for them, I could remember their style, the way they talked to me, and the way their personalities enlivened everything they did. I enjoyed their mishes just for the chance to talk to them, and would be pleased to run humdrum mishes just to hear their perspective on things.
2. Imaginative Requirements. Most Exile contact missions required the same stuff: killing and getting. It made me greatly appreciate ones which created variations on these themes: Pepper's needing amok test subjects put down, Hypatia asking me to switch an ersatz book for a real one, Thalia saying to kill everyone at a base except one to tell the tale. I savored these. This takes time, but the effort is well worth it.
3. Insight into the Dynamics and Backgrounds of the Exiles. Learning more about Dame White during the PB arcs is the best example of this, but there are others: Mr. Black's screw-up daughter, the curious tie between Sister Margaret and The Sculptress, Silver's endless machinations, and Thalia's elaborate malice. I love the feeling of learning more about a society with its web of alliances and connections. I love it when I feel like I am getting some sort of insight into how the Matrix operates. References to how Exiles feel, and to previous iterations of the Matrix always excite me.
4. Use of Player's Name in the Mish. This is always so cool! "She sent Sugaree! She must be really serious about this!", "I've been hearing a lot about you lately, Sugaree, and I'm sorry I won't be able to get to know you better", "If I'd known she sent Sugaree I would have brought more guys!". This is so easy to do, and so pleasant to encounter. It does a lot to liven up the mish, and is often quite humorous.
5. Bonus Items. This is seriously underutilized. The Sculptress, The Seamstress, and Pepper have all given me items. They're useless as far as combat goes, but it's the thought that counts. It would be cool to have some more items that are prestigious in nature, or maybe a few of the activity facilitator pills.
6. Cool Physical Settings. Most Exiles hang out on street corners like pimps, or they hang out in clubs like, well, like pimps. Thalia's pad is way memorable; few others are. Much more could be done on this score.
7. Witty Repartee from Incidental Characters. These are so great because they are so unexpected! When an artist (wearing a chef's hat) tells me that "Of course it looks like an ordinary room! That's why it's art!" or a chef tells me, "I seriously doubt you could appreciate what we do here. Why don't you go get some greasy fast food or something?", or an elite guard whispers to another "Ixnay on the ohay!", I laugh. I love these; they show creativity and wit. Who could ask for more? When I met Persephone, and she told me how talented and attractive I was, I wanted to run the mish over and over. These small interactions, so easily scripted, add immense value to a mish.
Fortunately, most of these sources of excellence are not expensive. There’s no reason not to be able to feature things like this in as many exiles as possible. Here are some concrete suggestions:
1. Work hard to think of other types of missions. The few variations we have are great. Try more.
2. More wit from incidentals: props, clothing, appearance, gestures/moods, and comments.
3. More prestige items. Any item, by being non-decompileable, becomes valuable without being imbalancing. They could be even transferable without unbalancing anything. Such as: Succubus dresses, colored open-toed shoes, Black Lotus Blouses, Jaynes dusters in other colors, other colors in men's hats, etc. To achieve this, existing items are trivially tweaked, so not a lot of dev time would be needed.
4. Maybe some email from one of the Exiles or an incidental character after a mish.
5. Many characters from the films could be re-introduced. The maitre d' from ReLoaded could appear as someone who must be mollified before entrance to Club Hell is assured. The Twins could reappear. Even a couple of Agents could appear.
6. So little goes such a long way. One encounter with Persephone just enlivened the entire Bartender mission suite. These are easy to script and very high return on investment.
7. More variety in physical settings. Some Exiles might prefer parks, the way the Archaeologist does. Having some in dungeons (as in the PBs) is great. Some might have their own offices or board rooms.
8. All Exiles seem to top out at five missions. It might not be too taxing to go back and add some more missions to existing Exiles. The characters are set, as are the styles. The only difficulty would be narrative invention, and the actual coding.
Does anyone else have thoughts on these lines?
This review may be found at manifoldmischief.blogspot.com, along with other reviews and writings relevant to MxO.
After doing 18 or so Exiles’ mish suites, I’ve noticed some things about the ones I really enjoyed, and the ones that I barely remember. I’d like to share these below, or the forum’s discussion, and maybe to inspire some in a position to be inspired. Feel free to forward these to anyone in the LESIG.
1. The Personality of the Principal. Think of Hypatia, The Chef, or The Seamstress, Mr. Po. Long after I forgot exactly what I had done for them, I could remember their style, the way they talked to me, and the way their personalities enlivened everything they did. I enjoyed their mishes just for the chance to talk to them, and would be pleased to run humdrum mishes just to hear their perspective on things.
2. Imaginative Requirements. Most Exile contact missions required the same stuff: killing and getting. It made me greatly appreciate ones which created variations on these themes: Pepper's needing amok test subjects put down, Hypatia asking me to switch an ersatz book for a real one, Thalia saying to kill everyone at a base except one to tell the tale. I savored these. This takes time, but the effort is well worth it.
3. Insight into the Dynamics and Backgrounds of the Exiles. Learning more about Dame White during the PB arcs is the best example of this, but there are others: Mr. Black's screw-up daughter, the curious tie between Sister Margaret and The Sculptress, Silver's endless machinations, and Thalia's elaborate malice. I love the feeling of learning more about a society with its web of alliances and connections. I love it when I feel like I am getting some sort of insight into how the Matrix operates. References to how Exiles feel, and to previous iterations of the Matrix always excite me.
4. Use of Player's Name in the Mish. This is always so cool! "She sent Sugaree! She must be really serious about this!", "I've been hearing a lot about you lately, Sugaree, and I'm sorry I won't be able to get to know you better", "If I'd known she sent Sugaree I would have brought more guys!". This is so easy to do, and so pleasant to encounter. It does a lot to liven up the mish, and is often quite humorous.
5. Bonus Items. This is seriously underutilized. The Sculptress, The Seamstress, and Pepper have all given me items. They're useless as far as combat goes, but it's the thought that counts. It would be cool to have some more items that are prestigious in nature, or maybe a few of the activity facilitator pills.
6. Cool Physical Settings. Most Exiles hang out on street corners like pimps, or they hang out in clubs like, well, like pimps. Thalia's pad is way memorable; few others are. Much more could be done on this score.
7. Witty Repartee from Incidental Characters. These are so great because they are so unexpected! When an artist (wearing a chef's hat) tells me that "Of course it looks like an ordinary room! That's why it's art!" or a chef tells me, "I seriously doubt you could appreciate what we do here. Why don't you go get some greasy fast food or something?", or an elite guard whispers to another "Ixnay on the ohay!", I laugh. I love these; they show creativity and wit. Who could ask for more? When I met Persephone, and she told me how talented and attractive I was, I wanted to run the mish over and over. These small interactions, so easily scripted, add immense value to a mish.
Fortunately, most of these sources of excellence are not expensive. There’s no reason not to be able to feature things like this in as many exiles as possible. Here are some concrete suggestions:
1. Work hard to think of other types of missions. The few variations we have are great. Try more.
2. More wit from incidentals: props, clothing, appearance, gestures/moods, and comments.
3. More prestige items. Any item, by being non-decompileable, becomes valuable without being imbalancing. They could be even transferable without unbalancing anything. Such as: Succubus dresses, colored open-toed shoes, Black Lotus Blouses, Jaynes dusters in other colors, other colors in men's hats, etc. To achieve this, existing items are trivially tweaked, so not a lot of dev time would be needed.
4. Maybe some email from one of the Exiles or an incidental character after a mish.
5. Many characters from the films could be re-introduced. The maitre d' from ReLoaded could appear as someone who must be mollified before entrance to Club Hell is assured. The Twins could reappear. Even a couple of Agents could appear.
6. So little goes such a long way. One encounter with Persephone just enlivened the entire Bartender mission suite. These are easy to script and very high return on investment.
7. More variety in physical settings. Some Exiles might prefer parks, the way the Archaeologist does. Having some in dungeons (as in the PBs) is great. Some might have their own offices or board rooms.
8. All Exiles seem to top out at five missions. It might not be too taxing to go back and add some more missions to existing Exiles. The characters are set, as are the styles. The only difficulty would be narrative invention, and the actual coding.
Does anyone else have thoughts on these lines?
This review may be found at manifoldmischief.blogspot.com, along with other reviews and writings relevant to MxO.
The Year in Review: 2004 in MxO
Mindful of my first complete year in MxO, I thought I would share some reflections.
I am so grateful to Sattakan, FAE, and everyone who listened to me ramble during my interview to join The Collective. And to the Council Members of that distant time who voted to accept me. I have worked so hard not to disappoint them.
Some memorable things from this year:
1. The beta character wipes. This is my first and only MMORPG, and I felt each one hard.
2. The end of beta. Living and dying with a clan was never so memorable.
3. Working my way into The Collective. It was not an easy process, and I worked at it very systematically, like everything I really want.
4. Setting a former paramour on fire at the end of beta. I'm still sorry for the hassle this created for my clan's elders, but it seemed like the right thing at the time. And I swear I did not read the order to not move!
5. Endless, endless failures in the sexiest/redpill contests.
6. One of my crew, who shall remain nameless, having a meltdown ingame during the summer. It was immensely embarassing, let me tell you.
7. Illyria1 helping me as XO (Executive officer), and then going on to helm her own hovercraft. So richly deserved!
8. The cool people I have gotten to know in and out of the clan.
9. Whispered conversations with LET wannabees like Methusaleh and Nevrosa. They were fake, but they were fun for RPers like me. Thanks, whoever!
10. Helping to architect a truce with the Sirens.
11. Watching twits corrode it, for no good reason whatsoever, except a superabundance of aggressive impulses.
12. Watching the bold entry into our world by a leading machinist clan from Iterator, and its unexpected fate. They came on with a bang!
13. Watching the bold entry into our world by a leading Zionist clan from Iterator, and its cruel, callous treatment of others.
14. All the new people that have seen value in our clan in recent months; I appreciate this so much.
15. RemagDiv signing on as my XO; he's the best, and the perfect one for my ship.
16. The addition of ingame email; the more I use this the more I love it.
17. The Exile Contact Missions; I am really getting into them.
18. The "Search For" events that we worked on.
19. Lots of added content to the game, in the form of the PB arcs, the Halloween stuff, and all the added background for buildings and offices: paintings, furniture, plants, posters, etc. Really, this has come a long way and few people have commented on it, but I savor it.
20. The successful hunt for DummyBug, and then his trying to explain his way out of getting killed and sleeze his way out of paying for it. How typical and characteristic. Too bad Penguin wasn't around then to lock the thread when it got ugly. But somehow we all got by....
21. Going through so many episodes of being called exploiters by everyone, just because we are so good at getting things done. Fortunately, the devs know exploiters when they see them.
22. Doubling Inventory. This was such a small thing but such a wonderful thing.
23. Watching manipulation of players during the Hunt for Morpheus, and working to overcome it.
24. Meeting Persephone and the Merv during mishes. They are such memorable characters, and so clearly superior to anyone associated with Zion or even, I hate to say it, the Machines.
25. Galadriel giving me i300 million one day in Mara in beta.
28. Children of the Code coming to our world, and showing that they could play the game their own way and succeed; I respect them and their creative integrity so much.
27. Seeing my old clan, AE survive (barely), go on to become a longterm success, and field some of the best PvPers in the game, like Carbuncle. I feel so proud for them.
28. Watching RIP go ballistic when a character wipe had been announced, and later when their banning had been announced.
29. All the people who have kept the faith this year and endured, like Sattakan, Illyria1, DeBarlo, Lady3Jane, Traxada, Rage, Sneaker, Ic3b3rg, Baelfor, Kayaus, RemagDiv, MidoriMegami, Orexis, DelDotStar, LtDarkstar, Waspeth, WeasselGirl, Midnight1, Leelu, Zurish, Azyanna, Partizan, and others; I have come to respect them so much for their perseverance.
30. Walrus, who must cater to the community of customers, while satisfying the minions of management and the deities of development, and taking flak from all. It's not an easy job, I'm sure. He should budget himself some more oysters on The Collective's tab.
31. All the player content, from player-events, to comix, to radiostations and MxO DJs. You guys do not receive nearly as much recognition as you deserve, but we all respect you for it immensely.
That's 31. I would hate to leave with a prime number, so here's one more.
32. The cool moon; I should take more time to appreciate it.
This review may be found at manifoldmischief.blogspot.com, along with other reviews and writings relevant to MxO.
I am so grateful to Sattakan, FAE, and everyone who listened to me ramble during my interview to join The Collective. And to the Council Members of that distant time who voted to accept me. I have worked so hard not to disappoint them.
Some memorable things from this year:
1. The beta character wipes. This is my first and only MMORPG, and I felt each one hard.
2. The end of beta. Living and dying with a clan was never so memorable.
3. Working my way into The Collective. It was not an easy process, and I worked at it very systematically, like everything I really want.
4. Setting a former paramour on fire at the end of beta. I'm still sorry for the hassle this created for my clan's elders, but it seemed like the right thing at the time. And I swear I did not read the order to not move!
5. Endless, endless failures in the sexiest/redpill contests.
6. One of my crew, who shall remain nameless, having a meltdown ingame during the summer. It was immensely embarassing, let me tell you.
7. Illyria1 helping me as XO (Executive officer), and then going on to helm her own hovercraft. So richly deserved!
8. The cool people I have gotten to know in and out of the clan.
9. Whispered conversations with LET wannabees like Methusaleh and Nevrosa. They were fake, but they were fun for RPers like me. Thanks, whoever!
10. Helping to architect a truce with the Sirens.
11. Watching twits corrode it, for no good reason whatsoever, except a superabundance of aggressive impulses.
12. Watching the bold entry into our world by a leading machinist clan from Iterator, and its unexpected fate. They came on with a bang!
13. Watching the bold entry into our world by a leading Zionist clan from Iterator, and its cruel, callous treatment of others.
14. All the new people that have seen value in our clan in recent months; I appreciate this so much.
15. RemagDiv signing on as my XO; he's the best, and the perfect one for my ship.
16. The addition of ingame email; the more I use this the more I love it.
17. The Exile Contact Missions; I am really getting into them.
18. The "Search For" events that we worked on.
19. Lots of added content to the game, in the form of the PB arcs, the Halloween stuff, and all the added background for buildings and offices: paintings, furniture, plants, posters, etc. Really, this has come a long way and few people have commented on it, but I savor it.
20. The successful hunt for DummyBug, and then his trying to explain his way out of getting killed and sleeze his way out of paying for it. How typical and characteristic. Too bad Penguin wasn't around then to lock the thread when it got ugly. But somehow we all got by....
21. Going through so many episodes of being called exploiters by everyone, just because we are so good at getting things done. Fortunately, the devs know exploiters when they see them.
22. Doubling Inventory. This was such a small thing but such a wonderful thing.
23. Watching manipulation of players during the Hunt for Morpheus, and working to overcome it.
24. Meeting Persephone and the Merv during mishes. They are such memorable characters, and so clearly superior to anyone associated with Zion or even, I hate to say it, the Machines.
25. Galadriel giving me i300 million one day in Mara in beta.
28. Children of the Code coming to our world, and showing that they could play the game their own way and succeed; I respect them and their creative integrity so much.
27. Seeing my old clan, AE survive (barely), go on to become a longterm success, and field some of the best PvPers in the game, like Carbuncle. I feel so proud for them.
28. Watching RIP go ballistic when a character wipe had been announced, and later when their banning had been announced.
29. All the people who have kept the faith this year and endured, like Sattakan, Illyria1, DeBarlo, Lady3Jane, Traxada, Rage, Sneaker, Ic3b3rg, Baelfor, Kayaus, RemagDiv, MidoriMegami, Orexis, DelDotStar, LtDarkstar, Waspeth, WeasselGirl, Midnight1, Leelu, Zurish, Azyanna, Partizan, and others; I have come to respect them so much for their perseverance.
30. Walrus, who must cater to the community of customers, while satisfying the minions of management and the deities of development, and taking flak from all. It's not an easy job, I'm sure. He should budget himself some more oysters on The Collective's tab.
31. All the player content, from player-events, to comix, to radiostations and MxO DJs. You guys do not receive nearly as much recognition as you deserve, but we all respect you for it immensely.
That's 31. I would hate to leave with a prime number, so here's one more.
32. The cool moon; I should take more time to appreciate it.
This review may be found at manifoldmischief.blogspot.com, along with other reviews and writings relevant to MxO.
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Sugar Shack 17: Mission Reviews: The Bartender: A Machinist Meets Persephone!
Sugar Shack 17: Mission Reviews: The Bartender: A Machinist Meets Persephone!
In working with the Chef, I inadvertently killed a couple of The Bartender’s groupies, and the Chef’s missions were never the same afterwards; it seemed like I was working against her in every one of them. So I decided to visit her and see if I could somehow patch things up. She is to be found in Edgewater, tending shop at Club Noir (-1457, -6, -968), looking down on a scarcely populated dance floor from a frame balcony. She seemed nervous, with her rust-orange hair tumbling down over one eye; she never met my gaze, and kept watching the dance floor, as though she expected someone to walk in with a wooden stake. And perhaps she was. As we find out later in her missions, she has a problem with keeping the Merovingian happy.
1. Pickup Green
Naturally, her concerns focus on operations, not things or people. She needs you to make a payment to Endymion (lovely name) for some stock for “special libation”, not for coppertops. Endymion has his own problems who must be removed before he can do business. In the end you have impressed both him and the Bartender, and the rare liquor has been delivered, and both Endymion and the Bartender are developing a good impression of you.
2. The Dionysus Gambit
Some things, though, cannot be bought. A rare wine, Dom Perrineau ’37, is owned by an Exile playboy named Dionysius; the Bartender wants you to liberate the only known bottle for her. Despite your best efforts, though, it is not to be found; her information was apparently off-target. The code of many a thug was spilled in vain.
3. The Dionysus Gambit, Part 2
Never one to give up easily, the Bartender dispatches you to an alternate location for Dionysus where the Dom has been taken, for display along with some other way rare items, adding, “This plan has the upside of making him look like an ass”. You blow through some quite unelegant settings in Edgewater and score the brew. For someone like Dionysus, I was kind of expecting a more upscale setting. An expert cheers (!) when he tests the wine, and you’re done! Turns out this is intended for the Merovingian’s wife, who we meet in…
4. The Dionysus Gambit, Part 3
To renew her liquor license, the Bartender needs the blessing of the Merovingian; you need to deliver the Dom to Persephone!! For a Machinist, these chances are few and far between. The bartender gives a great characterization of her that only excited my interest: “She’s a darling- graceful, poised, and intelligent. She’s also hideously deceitful and manipulative….Do not be lured into any untoward activity.“ Persephone was all that and more. And her parting words to me: “Thank you so much. You must be a very talented operative to have obtained such a treasure for me. And so attractive. Mmmm…” made my Machinist convictions feel weak, and I thought about joining the Sirens. Thank God Gusman and Nosgoul1 were there to strengthen me.
5. Creative License
Here you go and get the license from Flood. His guards insist in a fighting skill demonstration (cheating is allowed). Then you take the license to Bartender, and you’re done; the bartender makes a special trip out of Club Noir to meet you and receive the license. In this conclusion, there is no special item or prize, which disappointed me; I had heard there were such items, and was hoping for a Black Lotus blouse or a Succubus outfit. But I had gone from angering her in my last mish suite to winning her admiration, and that was something.
I like mission arcs which have coherence and consistency. I especially like ones which seem to give some background into the weird world of the Exiles and their interactions. And when I meet a goddess of the matrix like Persephone, well, I’m all set to run through these again and get more screenshots with her! Absolutely worth doing, these are!
The other night, when I ran through these, Nosgoul1 and Gusman from the Collective helped me out tremendously, and not just from their personal charm!
This review may be found at manifoldmischief.blogspot.com, along with other reviews and writings relevant to MxO.
In working with the Chef, I inadvertently killed a couple of The Bartender’s groupies, and the Chef’s missions were never the same afterwards; it seemed like I was working against her in every one of them. So I decided to visit her and see if I could somehow patch things up. She is to be found in Edgewater, tending shop at Club Noir (-1457, -6, -968), looking down on a scarcely populated dance floor from a frame balcony. She seemed nervous, with her rust-orange hair tumbling down over one eye; she never met my gaze, and kept watching the dance floor, as though she expected someone to walk in with a wooden stake. And perhaps she was. As we find out later in her missions, she has a problem with keeping the Merovingian happy.
1. Pickup Green
Naturally, her concerns focus on operations, not things or people. She needs you to make a payment to Endymion (lovely name) for some stock for “special libation”, not for coppertops. Endymion has his own problems who must be removed before he can do business. In the end you have impressed both him and the Bartender, and the rare liquor has been delivered, and both Endymion and the Bartender are developing a good impression of you.
2. The Dionysus Gambit
Some things, though, cannot be bought. A rare wine, Dom Perrineau ’37, is owned by an Exile playboy named Dionysius; the Bartender wants you to liberate the only known bottle for her. Despite your best efforts, though, it is not to be found; her information was apparently off-target. The code of many a thug was spilled in vain.
3. The Dionysus Gambit, Part 2
Never one to give up easily, the Bartender dispatches you to an alternate location for Dionysus where the Dom has been taken, for display along with some other way rare items, adding, “This plan has the upside of making him look like an ass”. You blow through some quite unelegant settings in Edgewater and score the brew. For someone like Dionysus, I was kind of expecting a more upscale setting. An expert cheers (!) when he tests the wine, and you’re done! Turns out this is intended for the Merovingian’s wife, who we meet in…
4. The Dionysus Gambit, Part 3
To renew her liquor license, the Bartender needs the blessing of the Merovingian; you need to deliver the Dom to Persephone!! For a Machinist, these chances are few and far between. The bartender gives a great characterization of her that only excited my interest: “She’s a darling- graceful, poised, and intelligent. She’s also hideously deceitful and manipulative….Do not be lured into any untoward activity.“ Persephone was all that and more. And her parting words to me: “Thank you so much. You must be a very talented operative to have obtained such a treasure for me. And so attractive. Mmmm…” made my Machinist convictions feel weak, and I thought about joining the Sirens. Thank God Gusman and Nosgoul1 were there to strengthen me.
5. Creative License
Here you go and get the license from Flood. His guards insist in a fighting skill demonstration (cheating is allowed). Then you take the license to Bartender, and you’re done; the bartender makes a special trip out of Club Noir to meet you and receive the license. In this conclusion, there is no special item or prize, which disappointed me; I had heard there were such items, and was hoping for a Black Lotus blouse or a Succubus outfit. But I had gone from angering her in my last mish suite to winning her admiration, and that was something.
I like mission arcs which have coherence and consistency. I especially like ones which seem to give some background into the weird world of the Exiles and their interactions. And when I meet a goddess of the matrix like Persephone, well, I’m all set to run through these again and get more screenshots with her! Absolutely worth doing, these are!
The other night, when I ran through these, Nosgoul1 and Gusman from the Collective helped me out tremendously, and not just from their personal charm!
This review may be found at manifoldmischief.blogspot.com, along with other reviews and writings relevant to MxO.
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Sugar Shack 16: Mission Reviews: The Chef: God of Cookery
Sugar Shack 16: Mission Reviews: The Chef: God of Cookery
We all think fondly of Cypher downing wine and steak as he deals with Agent Smith, the Merovingian waxing poetic over Chateaubriand, and the squalorous drivel fed to the brave, misinformed crews of Zion. It’s no surprise that one Exile has found a path to the kitchen. The Chef stands stoically outside a large office building in Pillsen at -243, 19, 320, near the Zeitgeist Club. But behind his cool mask beats an insecure heart, fretting about his art, and whether he has been truly successful. This professional yearning finds its outlet in five missions, all centered on obtaining information and resources.
1. Paging
The Chef needs a special recipe from the famous packrat Hypatia, and she will not give it up without him doing something for her: getting rid of some nuisance Exiles. She reciprocates with generosity one seldom experiences from Exiles, and warm words for you. She must remember me from doing her mishes last week!
2. And a Bottle of Rum
For a rare dish some rare rum must be obtained from the Bartender’s stock. This becomes vastly more complicated when you kill the wrong people, discover it has been stolen and the Chef must yield professional information in recompense, only to find someone else has it and is using it at that very moment. The Exile telling you this (“Have fun!”) starts slapping his knee in laughter. As usual, you must retrieve it and kill everyone involved. One cute note: as you kill the competing chef (dismissed by the Chef as an “incompetent hack”) and staff to retrieve the rum, you note a bottle of diet soda perched on a desk! Better make sure that’s rum in the bottle!
3 Bedtime Reading
He needs help getting some of the ancient recipes translated. Simple in theory, this becomes tough in execution, since you have to escort not one but two low-level NPCs a long way through the dangerous streets of the downtown area. Count on at least one attack. Of course, once they get to their destination, the task is trivial. Curiously, others seem to be after the same programs you are.
4. Spice Story
Spice from the Bartender is also needed. But after a recent fiasco, she is ill-disposed to cooperate, and thus a diversion attack is necessary: wipe out a safe house of hers (not so dissimilar from a raid on a house of the Seamstress for the Weaver). The spice is then obtained, and taken to a flunky chef. This chef’s staff is none too impressed with you, and make a number of rude comments, like “You probably can’t even appreciate the kind of dishes we create. Cretin!” and “I don’t think you would appreciate what we have to offer. Why don’t you go get some greasy fast food?”
5 If I’d Known You Were Coming
The Chef has prepared a masterpiece work for Mr. Black, using the rum and spice and ancient recipes we have gathered for him. We need to get some icing tools to an assistant, and then take the finished product to Mr. Black. When his flunkies check the finished work, it turns out that there has been a miscalculation and a fight breaks out! Surprise, surprise! The Chef’s reputation will never be the same, and he gives me a useless pair of pants as a hasty going away present. The Chef’s disappointment is well-portrayed; mine must be imagined. Not even an éclair!
After reading so much about food, and smelling so much expended gunpowder, I wanted to get dressed up and go to the Merovingian’s sunny, trendy spot for a leisurely lunch. And, really, this mish suite could have been so easily built around the Merovingian’s palate, with his murmured appreciation and Persephone’s purrs. It’s unclear why the austere Mr. Black was selected. I mean, has he done something to deserve it? And as we all know, cake plays an important role in Merovingian culture; I am surprised that no one thought to or found a way to work this into these mishes.
Nonetheless, there are many well-written moments, a few of which I have already shared. In mid-mission, the Chef starts ruminating, “I have heard of ancient human writings that describe fine wines, delicate pastries, decadent feasts…I wonder what did they actually taste like? How would they compare to the tastes of food here in the Matrix? Have we even come close? I wonder…Hmm? Oh, yes, good work and all that. Please get the recipe for me”. And the mishes well capture the obsessive professionalism of gods of cookery.
Thanks once again to Sattakan, Illyria1, Blackfir3, and R0ukan, who added so much to these missions.
This review may be found at manifoldmischief.blogspot.com, along with other reviews and writings relevant to MxO.
We all think fondly of Cypher downing wine and steak as he deals with Agent Smith, the Merovingian waxing poetic over Chateaubriand, and the squalorous drivel fed to the brave, misinformed crews of Zion. It’s no surprise that one Exile has found a path to the kitchen. The Chef stands stoically outside a large office building in Pillsen at -243, 19, 320, near the Zeitgeist Club. But behind his cool mask beats an insecure heart, fretting about his art, and whether he has been truly successful. This professional yearning finds its outlet in five missions, all centered on obtaining information and resources.
1. Paging
The Chef needs a special recipe from the famous packrat Hypatia, and she will not give it up without him doing something for her: getting rid of some nuisance Exiles. She reciprocates with generosity one seldom experiences from Exiles, and warm words for you. She must remember me from doing her mishes last week!
2. And a Bottle of Rum
For a rare dish some rare rum must be obtained from the Bartender’s stock. This becomes vastly more complicated when you kill the wrong people, discover it has been stolen and the Chef must yield professional information in recompense, only to find someone else has it and is using it at that very moment. The Exile telling you this (“Have fun!”) starts slapping his knee in laughter. As usual, you must retrieve it and kill everyone involved. One cute note: as you kill the competing chef (dismissed by the Chef as an “incompetent hack”) and staff to retrieve the rum, you note a bottle of diet soda perched on a desk! Better make sure that’s rum in the bottle!
3 Bedtime Reading
He needs help getting some of the ancient recipes translated. Simple in theory, this becomes tough in execution, since you have to escort not one but two low-level NPCs a long way through the dangerous streets of the downtown area. Count on at least one attack. Of course, once they get to their destination, the task is trivial. Curiously, others seem to be after the same programs you are.
4. Spice Story
Spice from the Bartender is also needed. But after a recent fiasco, she is ill-disposed to cooperate, and thus a diversion attack is necessary: wipe out a safe house of hers (not so dissimilar from a raid on a house of the Seamstress for the Weaver). The spice is then obtained, and taken to a flunky chef. This chef’s staff is none too impressed with you, and make a number of rude comments, like “You probably can’t even appreciate the kind of dishes we create. Cretin!” and “I don’t think you would appreciate what we have to offer. Why don’t you go get some greasy fast food?”
5 If I’d Known You Were Coming
The Chef has prepared a masterpiece work for Mr. Black, using the rum and spice and ancient recipes we have gathered for him. We need to get some icing tools to an assistant, and then take the finished product to Mr. Black. When his flunkies check the finished work, it turns out that there has been a miscalculation and a fight breaks out! Surprise, surprise! The Chef’s reputation will never be the same, and he gives me a useless pair of pants as a hasty going away present. The Chef’s disappointment is well-portrayed; mine must be imagined. Not even an éclair!
After reading so much about food, and smelling so much expended gunpowder, I wanted to get dressed up and go to the Merovingian’s sunny, trendy spot for a leisurely lunch. And, really, this mish suite could have been so easily built around the Merovingian’s palate, with his murmured appreciation and Persephone’s purrs. It’s unclear why the austere Mr. Black was selected. I mean, has he done something to deserve it? And as we all know, cake plays an important role in Merovingian culture; I am surprised that no one thought to or found a way to work this into these mishes.
Nonetheless, there are many well-written moments, a few of which I have already shared. In mid-mission, the Chef starts ruminating, “I have heard of ancient human writings that describe fine wines, delicate pastries, decadent feasts…I wonder what did they actually taste like? How would they compare to the tastes of food here in the Matrix? Have we even come close? I wonder…Hmm? Oh, yes, good work and all that. Please get the recipe for me”. And the mishes well capture the obsessive professionalism of gods of cookery.
Thanks once again to Sattakan, Illyria1, Blackfir3, and R0ukan, who added so much to these missions.
This review may be found at manifoldmischief.blogspot.com, along with other reviews and writings relevant to MxO.
Sugar Shack 15: Exile Contact Reviews: The Network: Love You Baby!
If you ask me, the Network is an improbable name for an exile. When I heard it, I assumed a conspiracy of, umm, networked exiles, or some geek blathering about IP addresses and subnet masks. Instead, he’s like a movie executive. He hangs out at the Club Jetsam downtown in Industry Square (-167,175,799), a well-dressed, youngish-looking guy, watching the entrance near a table with small, feel-good candles. Like the popular image of a producer, he is all bright, glib optimism. Believe me, after Weaver, who consistently went out of her way to slam me, this was a welcome relief! As with every exile contact mish suite, they start off small, and soon become big tasks of butchery and revenge. It’s like Hamlet or MacBeth or something!
1. Tat Tap Tap
This starts out the right way: “You come recommended as someone with great discretion, Sugaree”. This seems like a classic, if generic, mission: a spy device has been planted in a machine stronghold; we have to go kill some machine guys and we’re good to plant a bug and you are done. He says you have a future! Tell me more, please! Good writing characterizes this mish.
2. Silver Toys
This second mish is the best of the lot. Exile Silver has ventured downtown from Richland to show a spy device to a buyer. We get there first, kill all his hired help, and then politely ask for it. He makes empty threats- “Well, Meat…these are the finest of the Slashers; they will rid me of your presence”. But don’t worry, he talks this way to everyone until he needs your help. The Network says you are very persuasive (foreshadowing for the next mission). Fun interaction with his cutout who received the device from us: a typical stressed-out middle manager wailing at the hired help. He is impatient, as we can see: “Don’t be a slacker. We’ve got to have synergy to build a convergent enterprise!” Perhaps as SOE spoke to Lith, many moons ago…
3. A Convincing Argument
An entertainer with great influence over bluepills wishes to remain aloof and isolated, like Greta Garbo. But The Network wishes something else, and tasks us to fight our way to her and simply deliver a letter. In this mish the opposition was unusually severe. I got killed several times, including by an agent, whom laid waste to me with just three shots! Eventually you reach her, if you persevere; she is suitably horrified.
4. Dailies
Some film with bluepill-influencing codes has been stolen by an exile; The Network wants it back. This mish was convenient indeed, taking place inside the same building as the club! Was it an exploit to accept it? Only the devs know for sure….”Brilliant, Sugaree!” he gushes at the end. Note to self: introduce him to Weaver.
5. Counter Programming
Someone has been vandalizing one of The Network’s relay stations, and he wants to get rid of them. We simply go and kill everyone we find; what could be easier! Oh, and then we take one guy’s head and deliver it to one of TN’s competitors, after fighting our way in. The echo of The Godfather is surely not coincidental. “How could you, you animals!” wails the competing network leader. In one unfortunate gaffe, the body lying on the ground seems intact, even though we have presumably decapitated it.
In these missions, we see some standard actions, punched up with the inclusion of a surprising Exile, Silver, and imaginative speech from the principal and the hired help. They’re enjoyable. And after Weaver’s unrelenting insults and put-downs, it was a pleasure to get some praise, however insincere it might have been!
Many thanks go to Sattakan, Trexx, and Illyria1 from The Collective for their help, which made good, serviceable missions even better!
This review may be found at manifoldmischief.blogspot.com, along with other reviews and writings relevant to MxO.
1. Tat Tap Tap
This starts out the right way: “You come recommended as someone with great discretion, Sugaree”. This seems like a classic, if generic, mission: a spy device has been planted in a machine stronghold; we have to go kill some machine guys and we’re good to plant a bug and you are done. He says you have a future! Tell me more, please! Good writing characterizes this mish.
2. Silver Toys
This second mish is the best of the lot. Exile Silver has ventured downtown from Richland to show a spy device to a buyer. We get there first, kill all his hired help, and then politely ask for it. He makes empty threats- “Well, Meat…these are the finest of the Slashers; they will rid me of your presence”. But don’t worry, he talks this way to everyone until he needs your help. The Network says you are very persuasive (foreshadowing for the next mission). Fun interaction with his cutout who received the device from us: a typical stressed-out middle manager wailing at the hired help. He is impatient, as we can see: “Don’t be a slacker. We’ve got to have synergy to build a convergent enterprise!” Perhaps as SOE spoke to Lith, many moons ago…
3. A Convincing Argument
An entertainer with great influence over bluepills wishes to remain aloof and isolated, like Greta Garbo. But The Network wishes something else, and tasks us to fight our way to her and simply deliver a letter. In this mish the opposition was unusually severe. I got killed several times, including by an agent, whom laid waste to me with just three shots! Eventually you reach her, if you persevere; she is suitably horrified.
4. Dailies
Some film with bluepill-influencing codes has been stolen by an exile; The Network wants it back. This mish was convenient indeed, taking place inside the same building as the club! Was it an exploit to accept it? Only the devs know for sure….”Brilliant, Sugaree!” he gushes at the end. Note to self: introduce him to Weaver.
5. Counter Programming
Someone has been vandalizing one of The Network’s relay stations, and he wants to get rid of them. We simply go and kill everyone we find; what could be easier! Oh, and then we take one guy’s head and deliver it to one of TN’s competitors, after fighting our way in. The echo of The Godfather is surely not coincidental. “How could you, you animals!” wails the competing network leader. In one unfortunate gaffe, the body lying on the ground seems intact, even though we have presumably decapitated it.
In these missions, we see some standard actions, punched up with the inclusion of a surprising Exile, Silver, and imaginative speech from the principal and the hired help. They’re enjoyable. And after Weaver’s unrelenting insults and put-downs, it was a pleasure to get some praise, however insincere it might have been!
Many thanks go to Sattakan, Trexx, and Illyria1 from The Collective for their help, which made good, serviceable missions even better!
This review may be found at manifoldmischief.blogspot.com, along with other reviews and writings relevant to MxO.
Monday, December 05, 2005
Sugar Shack 14: Mission Reviews: The Weaver and Her Tangled Web
Sugar Shack 14: Mission Reviews: The Weaver and Her Tangled Web
After getting so sucked into Hypatia’s book-lined world last week, I wanted something more detached and less emotional, and sought it in Weaver, who may be found at South Vauxton (-1377, 1, -781). The Weaver has business dealings with the Seamstress, of course, and we should expect Scarlett to figure in this as well! The gentle, aesthetic Weaver starts off strong:
“Sugaree, huh? Never heard of you. And to be honest, I don’t like what I see. I mean, look at those cheap knockoff clothes….but I guess you will have to do”.
As if! One look at her gaudy, gauche, over-colored outfit would make anyone start asking why the pot was calling the kettle black. But I persevered for the sake of you, dear reader.
1. Warp and Weft
The Seamstress will buy some special fabric from her, but she needs silk from The Mothman. And he in turn needs some gang members snuffed. Got that? The attack site is a convenient stone’s throw from her street corner, but the Sleepers are not your average sleepers; they’re way tough. At the end The Weaver sighs, “It takes scum to deal with scum, I guess”, but concludes “Come back soon! I can always use good day labor.” Thanks! I think.
2. Danger Looms
The Weaver needs a critical piece of code for a Loom upgrade she has in mind, but does not want to pay the Pheasant (a local smuggler) for it. You can see where this is going, I’m sure! Two tough fights and a quick upload later, she warmly thanks you, “See? That wasn’t so hard, was it? Maybe next time you can show a little more initiative”. Why do I even bother?
3. To Rose with Love
In this short mish, you pick up silk from a bluepill tasked with holding it for Weave. However, the bluepill dies and you have to go visit his brokenhearted wife. Weaver, as always, is a fountain of sympathy for the lost and struggling: “I wonder what you were like as a bluepill? I can’t even imagine where you’d start in order to rise to your current level of incompetence.” And this for a successful mission!
4. Shuttle Mission
The silk from last mish has not been turning out as planned, and Weave wants you to take a sample for analysis to find out why. It turns out she has made a “novice” mistake, and you need some code to rectify things. This brings you into conflict with the area’s Runners gang, who have an unexplained interest in the code. Witty operator comments.
5. Devil in the Details
Weaver now wants retribution against the Seamstress for canceling an order! Talk about vindictive! This starts with wiping out a safe house for her, and then going to another Seamstress facility to drop off a virus and wipe out her server. She appreciates your work: “Well, it seems that when mindless killing is called for, you’re the person to talk to.”
When this is done, the Weaver has lost her patience with you, and gives you a “trinket” and dumps you unceremoniously. “Quite frankly, you’re a liability”. For my 50th level character, this was some enhanced gloves, suitable for a level 16 character. But it was the thought that counts, I guess. As if!
Overall, these mishes do not have the feeling for a deep storyline as some mishes do. But the missions are all thematically related. The interaction with her is delightfully written, and she comes off as a genuine character. And her missions are all within a small area; no running kilometers in any direction. However on a Hard setting, there were sometimes more Elite Guards than you could shake a stick at, so some company is best. And set your skin for thick, and your ego for strong, if you want to come through this unscathed.
This time I benefited from the ingenuity, companionship, and courage of Zurish, my clanmate.
This review may be found at manifoldmischief.blogspot.com, along with other reviews and writings relevant to MxO.
After getting so sucked into Hypatia’s book-lined world last week, I wanted something more detached and less emotional, and sought it in Weaver, who may be found at South Vauxton (-1377, 1, -781). The Weaver has business dealings with the Seamstress, of course, and we should expect Scarlett to figure in this as well! The gentle, aesthetic Weaver starts off strong:
“Sugaree, huh? Never heard of you. And to be honest, I don’t like what I see. I mean, look at those cheap knockoff clothes….but I guess you will have to do”.
As if! One look at her gaudy, gauche, over-colored outfit would make anyone start asking why the pot was calling the kettle black. But I persevered for the sake of you, dear reader.
1. Warp and Weft
The Seamstress will buy some special fabric from her, but she needs silk from The Mothman. And he in turn needs some gang members snuffed. Got that? The attack site is a convenient stone’s throw from her street corner, but the Sleepers are not your average sleepers; they’re way tough. At the end The Weaver sighs, “It takes scum to deal with scum, I guess”, but concludes “Come back soon! I can always use good day labor.” Thanks! I think.
2. Danger Looms
The Weaver needs a critical piece of code for a Loom upgrade she has in mind, but does not want to pay the Pheasant (a local smuggler) for it. You can see where this is going, I’m sure! Two tough fights and a quick upload later, she warmly thanks you, “See? That wasn’t so hard, was it? Maybe next time you can show a little more initiative”. Why do I even bother?
3. To Rose with Love
In this short mish, you pick up silk from a bluepill tasked with holding it for Weave. However, the bluepill dies and you have to go visit his brokenhearted wife. Weaver, as always, is a fountain of sympathy for the lost and struggling: “I wonder what you were like as a bluepill? I can’t even imagine where you’d start in order to rise to your current level of incompetence.” And this for a successful mission!
4. Shuttle Mission
The silk from last mish has not been turning out as planned, and Weave wants you to take a sample for analysis to find out why. It turns out she has made a “novice” mistake, and you need some code to rectify things. This brings you into conflict with the area’s Runners gang, who have an unexplained interest in the code. Witty operator comments.
5. Devil in the Details
Weaver now wants retribution against the Seamstress for canceling an order! Talk about vindictive! This starts with wiping out a safe house for her, and then going to another Seamstress facility to drop off a virus and wipe out her server. She appreciates your work: “Well, it seems that when mindless killing is called for, you’re the person to talk to.”
When this is done, the Weaver has lost her patience with you, and gives you a “trinket” and dumps you unceremoniously. “Quite frankly, you’re a liability”. For my 50th level character, this was some enhanced gloves, suitable for a level 16 character. But it was the thought that counts, I guess. As if!
Overall, these mishes do not have the feeling for a deep storyline as some mishes do. But the missions are all thematically related. The interaction with her is delightfully written, and she comes off as a genuine character. And her missions are all within a small area; no running kilometers in any direction. However on a Hard setting, there were sometimes more Elite Guards than you could shake a stick at, so some company is best. And set your skin for thick, and your ego for strong, if you want to come through this unscathed.
This time I benefited from the ingenuity, companionship, and courage of Zurish, my clanmate.
This review may be found at manifoldmischief.blogspot.com, along with other reviews and writings relevant to MxO.
Friday, December 02, 2005
Sugar Shack 13: Mission Reviews: Hypatia: Sultry Bookworm Gone Nuts
Sugar Shack 13: Mission Reviews: Hypatia: Sultry Bookworm Gone Nuts
Over this series we have encountered Hypatia before: she stole journals from the Coroner, and caused trouble for Sister Margaret and the Sculptress by withholding resources. Having seen her handiwork from afar, I decided to explore her first hand. Unlike many Exile, Hypatia does not work the streets, looking for rubes and noobs. Instead, she may be found in Chelsea, at 63/-6/-583, in the basement of the dumpy Club Messiah, where, like Lotus and Argon, she quietly, watchfully holds court. Appropriately, the streets outside the Club Messiah swarm with bookwyrms. Nice design touch! Some see coincidence; I see purpose.
Shockingly, there was something familiar about Hypatia. The dress, the hair, the specs, the saucy pose…I was flabbergasted! She looked just like me! And maybe this is why I felt drawn to her and her magpie acquisitiveness. She must complain about her inventory too. I felt a connection with her that I have felt with no other Exile contact. Was this coincidence? Or was it providence? Was I meant to do these missions?
1. Past Due
But enough of me! Like so many people, Hypatia lends books and has trouble getting them back. Of course, it’s not the book is important or anything, it’s just, you know, the principle. So she tasks you with getting it back at all costs, killing anyone who resists, and leaving one witness to spread the word. Just, you know, on principle. Every bibliophile out there will warm to this.
In this mish we learn of a rogue group of Exiles who style themselves “The Book Club”. They’re former academics, though you sure couldn’t tell from looking at them. Their leader claims the book is awesomely valuable and rare, and no way is it going back! Well, a polite word and a Devastation Field gets you more than just a polite word. The volume is then returned to another of Hypatia’s flunkies; apparently she does not want you to know its ultimate destination: her kitchen table. The Exiles here have some great lines, and some pathos at the end. A tough, good mish on solo.
2. Thieves in the Night
This mish is deliciously ironic. After recovering a notebook for the Coroner just a few days ago, now I’m tasked with stealing one from him! Hypatia is curious about his “Frankenstein” experiments on reviving bluepills, and would like to study his journal. Along the way, you might as well kill his scientists, she adds as an afterthought. Note to self: stay on her good side.
3. The Wrong Hands
An exile named The Collector has a book with dangerous information; Hypatia tasks you with replacing it with a safer, dumbed-down ersatz copy, and destroying the original.
We pick up the ersatz book from an Exile counterfeiting expert who is currently trying to copy herself. One copy gravely asked us “Do you like pie?” Then Hypatia, apparently as an afterthought, directs us to kill everyone at the site with the book, “to make it look good”. So on we go to slay and mislead for our patroness. But in the end she praises us, saying we have made the Matrix a better, safer place. But be careful to destroy the real book, and place the genuine fake back. Or something like that.
4. Pre-emptive Action
This mission is uncharacteristically simple. Hypatia has learned of a plan to attack her (so she says, anyway), and directs us to disrupt it. This involves two groups of Exiles, all of whom must be wiped out. Again, carnage and blood; in the end Hypatia is quietly gleeful that her books are safe. Inside a safe, we found a gold coat!
5. In Pursuit of Knowledge
An Exile named Alvarez has infuriated the phlegmatic Hypatia. He not only acquired a rare book of Exile lore which she does not have, the fiend destroyed it before she could read it!! But he memorized the content, or at least all the important parts. We must guide him to a meeting with Hypatia so they can have a conversation about this.
This is more complicated that it seems. When we go to get him, we find he has been kidnapped. Then we fight our way to him, only to discover he has been killed. But Hypatia is nothing if not resourceful, and she will not be denied his knowledge….
Intelligent and bookish though Hypatia is, she seems like one of the easier ones to manipulate. Her thirst for knowledge would be easily kindled and directed against almost anyone. It is best to satisfy her when you run her missions; I would hate for my name to be written down in the wrong book of hers…..
Ages and ages ago, in Beta, Tyndall wrote on the MxO site about one Exile called The Librarian, whose Library included many a rare volume of arcane lore. Today, there seems to be a Library downtown, which is never open. There are many “bookwyrms” but with no known leader. There are certain rare texts for sale which transport you to the constructs. And with Hypatia we have an Exile who will stop at nothing to get books, or get them back. It’s hard not to wonder if in Hypatia we have the debris of The Librarian, recycled for some reason from a major figure downtown into an Exile contact. Why this may have been done is another mystery for the ages. In other Exile contact mission suites, Hypatia is similarly acquisitive, but without this bibliomania focus. At some point she seems to have been re-done. Or perhaps merely progressed in her personal evolution.
Of the various Exiles with their missions some, like Argon, are just self-seeking egos with no depth of their own. On the other hand, ones like Hypatia and the Sculptress are well-characterized with individual motivations, and their mishes have real content. This group is definitely worth doing, and soon!
Many thanks to Sattakan, Illyria1, Ebola, and Roukan, whose help made these missions so enjoyable.
This review maybe found at manifoldmischief.blogspot.com, along with other reviews and writings relevant to MxO.
Over this series we have encountered Hypatia before: she stole journals from the Coroner, and caused trouble for Sister Margaret and the Sculptress by withholding resources. Having seen her handiwork from afar, I decided to explore her first hand. Unlike many Exile, Hypatia does not work the streets, looking for rubes and noobs. Instead, she may be found in Chelsea, at 63/-6/-583, in the basement of the dumpy Club Messiah, where, like Lotus and Argon, she quietly, watchfully holds court. Appropriately, the streets outside the Club Messiah swarm with bookwyrms. Nice design touch! Some see coincidence; I see purpose.
Shockingly, there was something familiar about Hypatia. The dress, the hair, the specs, the saucy pose…I was flabbergasted! She looked just like me! And maybe this is why I felt drawn to her and her magpie acquisitiveness. She must complain about her inventory too. I felt a connection with her that I have felt with no other Exile contact. Was this coincidence? Or was it providence? Was I meant to do these missions?
1. Past Due
But enough of me! Like so many people, Hypatia lends books and has trouble getting them back. Of course, it’s not the book is important or anything, it’s just, you know, the principle. So she tasks you with getting it back at all costs, killing anyone who resists, and leaving one witness to spread the word. Just, you know, on principle. Every bibliophile out there will warm to this.
In this mish we learn of a rogue group of Exiles who style themselves “The Book Club”. They’re former academics, though you sure couldn’t tell from looking at them. Their leader claims the book is awesomely valuable and rare, and no way is it going back! Well, a polite word and a Devastation Field gets you more than just a polite word. The volume is then returned to another of Hypatia’s flunkies; apparently she does not want you to know its ultimate destination: her kitchen table. The Exiles here have some great lines, and some pathos at the end. A tough, good mish on solo.
2. Thieves in the Night
This mish is deliciously ironic. After recovering a notebook for the Coroner just a few days ago, now I’m tasked with stealing one from him! Hypatia is curious about his “Frankenstein” experiments on reviving bluepills, and would like to study his journal. Along the way, you might as well kill his scientists, she adds as an afterthought. Note to self: stay on her good side.
3. The Wrong Hands
An exile named The Collector has a book with dangerous information; Hypatia tasks you with replacing it with a safer, dumbed-down ersatz copy, and destroying the original.
We pick up the ersatz book from an Exile counterfeiting expert who is currently trying to copy herself. One copy gravely asked us “Do you like pie?” Then Hypatia, apparently as an afterthought, directs us to kill everyone at the site with the book, “to make it look good”. So on we go to slay and mislead for our patroness. But in the end she praises us, saying we have made the Matrix a better, safer place. But be careful to destroy the real book, and place the genuine fake back. Or something like that.
4. Pre-emptive Action
This mission is uncharacteristically simple. Hypatia has learned of a plan to attack her (so she says, anyway), and directs us to disrupt it. This involves two groups of Exiles, all of whom must be wiped out. Again, carnage and blood; in the end Hypatia is quietly gleeful that her books are safe. Inside a safe, we found a gold coat!
5. In Pursuit of Knowledge
An Exile named Alvarez has infuriated the phlegmatic Hypatia. He not only acquired a rare book of Exile lore which she does not have, the fiend destroyed it before she could read it!! But he memorized the content, or at least all the important parts. We must guide him to a meeting with Hypatia so they can have a conversation about this.
This is more complicated that it seems. When we go to get him, we find he has been kidnapped. Then we fight our way to him, only to discover he has been killed. But Hypatia is nothing if not resourceful, and she will not be denied his knowledge….
Intelligent and bookish though Hypatia is, she seems like one of the easier ones to manipulate. Her thirst for knowledge would be easily kindled and directed against almost anyone. It is best to satisfy her when you run her missions; I would hate for my name to be written down in the wrong book of hers…..
Ages and ages ago, in Beta, Tyndall wrote on the MxO site about one Exile called The Librarian, whose Library included many a rare volume of arcane lore. Today, there seems to be a Library downtown, which is never open. There are many “bookwyrms” but with no known leader. There are certain rare texts for sale which transport you to the constructs. And with Hypatia we have an Exile who will stop at nothing to get books, or get them back. It’s hard not to wonder if in Hypatia we have the debris of The Librarian, recycled for some reason from a major figure downtown into an Exile contact. Why this may have been done is another mystery for the ages. In other Exile contact mission suites, Hypatia is similarly acquisitive, but without this bibliomania focus. At some point she seems to have been re-done. Or perhaps merely progressed in her personal evolution.
Of the various Exiles with their missions some, like Argon, are just self-seeking egos with no depth of their own. On the other hand, ones like Hypatia and the Sculptress are well-characterized with individual motivations, and their mishes have real content. This group is definitely worth doing, and soon!
Many thanks to Sattakan, Illyria1, Ebola, and Roukan, whose help made these missions so enjoyable.
This review maybe found at manifoldmischief.blogspot.com, along with other reviews and writings relevant to MxO.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Sugar Shack 12: Blast from the Past: My Scariest MxO Encounter Ever
Sugar Shack 12: Blast from the Past: My Scariest MxO Encounter Ever
My Scariest Encounter Ever
The creepiest mission contact, bar none, is The Coroner, last seen downtown near Baldwin Heights. And why is he creepy, you ask? Most exiles want money or power or intel, things we can all understand and empathize with. Not him. The Coroner tasks you with killing exiles and innocent bluepills solely to supply him with materials for his experiments. Be careful before taking his missions on; they are not a walk on the dark side, they’re a hyperjump! Only the first mission worked, but it was enough to give me the biggest freakout of my MxO career.
One day I was killin and chillin at Baldwin Heights when I ran into one of the people I admire most, the savvy and generous Lshink, from Children of Zion. He told me about a killer mission from the Coroner that had defeated him several times and invited me along for the fun. How could I turn down a chance like that?
The mission has three parts. Part one required us to seek and kill a retired policeman. His handful of tactical security guards did little to delay two upper-30s players like us. Part three only required us to kill some greyed out (!) gang members.
However, part two required the killing of a Level-50 vampire exile resident in a downtown high-rise. This exile had beaten Lshink before; we approached his office and started talking about how best to take him down.
While we were considering our strategy, he ran out and engaged us (Freakout #1). Together we got him down to 50% before we both died. I returned in and went to wait outside the mission area while Lshink made his way and the death effect wore off. But as soon as I stepped out of the elevator the vampire was waiting for me and immediately engaged me (Freakout #2). After a couple of exchanges I was down to less than 10% hit points, and I staggered into the elevator and headed for the second floor lobby to sit and rest up (no chairs/couches on the ground floor). Lshink was getting another friend, the awesome SthenViper (from the Jokerz) to help. I was okay with that and waited while my red line slowly, slowly crept back.
Suddenly the vampire was in front of me (Freakout #3)! He was fidgeting back and forth, moving to and fro, as though he couldn’t see me clearly. I didn’t dare move. I team-messaged Lshink and SthenViper, who asked me if I knew where the vampire was. “I don’t think finding him will be a problem,” I wrote back.
They were having trouble finding a way up, and I was freaking out as the vampire walked back and forth right in front of me. When he got stuck in a corner, I rose to run and jump down to the ground floor. But as soon as I stood, the vampire was on me; he’d lured me out (Freakout #4)! I fought. I did a little damage. I died. I watched my friends rush in over my dead body. We failed again.
I reconstructed and went back to the high-rise to wait for the team to regroup and my death effect to fade (this was starting to sound familiar!). While I was standing there waiting and looking at my nails, the vampire came charging out of the building and engaged me (Freakout #5)! Flabbergasted, flat-footed, death-effected, I fumbled my defense as he hacked away at me for a third time. In a few seconds I was down to less than 10% hit points, and Lshink rushed in, taking on the fell monster singlehandedly and telling me to get out. From a distance, SthenViper poured hacker fire down. I hyperjumped to a building top to sit for a few seconds, and jumped back down to rejoin the fight as they finished off the uber-vamp. The third mission was an absurd anti-climax.
This second encounter was an absolutely brilliant piece of work. At every turn the vampire was one step ahead of us, and he consistently out-thought us. We only won through sheer mass; we never out-smarted him. Props to the devs for such brilliance. But devs, please remember that brilliance is best in small doses.
Anyone else care to share scariest moments?
This memoir may be found at manifoldmischief.blogspot.com, along with other reviews and writings relevant to MxO.
My Scariest Encounter Ever
The creepiest mission contact, bar none, is The Coroner, last seen downtown near Baldwin Heights. And why is he creepy, you ask? Most exiles want money or power or intel, things we can all understand and empathize with. Not him. The Coroner tasks you with killing exiles and innocent bluepills solely to supply him with materials for his experiments. Be careful before taking his missions on; they are not a walk on the dark side, they’re a hyperjump! Only the first mission worked, but it was enough to give me the biggest freakout of my MxO career.
One day I was killin and chillin at Baldwin Heights when I ran into one of the people I admire most, the savvy and generous Lshink, from Children of Zion. He told me about a killer mission from the Coroner that had defeated him several times and invited me along for the fun. How could I turn down a chance like that?
The mission has three parts. Part one required us to seek and kill a retired policeman. His handful of tactical security guards did little to delay two upper-30s players like us. Part three only required us to kill some greyed out (!) gang members.
However, part two required the killing of a Level-50 vampire exile resident in a downtown high-rise. This exile had beaten Lshink before; we approached his office and started talking about how best to take him down.
While we were considering our strategy, he ran out and engaged us (Freakout #1). Together we got him down to 50% before we both died. I returned in and went to wait outside the mission area while Lshink made his way and the death effect wore off. But as soon as I stepped out of the elevator the vampire was waiting for me and immediately engaged me (Freakout #2). After a couple of exchanges I was down to less than 10% hit points, and I staggered into the elevator and headed for the second floor lobby to sit and rest up (no chairs/couches on the ground floor). Lshink was getting another friend, the awesome SthenViper (from the Jokerz) to help. I was okay with that and waited while my red line slowly, slowly crept back.
Suddenly the vampire was in front of me (Freakout #3)! He was fidgeting back and forth, moving to and fro, as though he couldn’t see me clearly. I didn’t dare move. I team-messaged Lshink and SthenViper, who asked me if I knew where the vampire was. “I don’t think finding him will be a problem,” I wrote back.
They were having trouble finding a way up, and I was freaking out as the vampire walked back and forth right in front of me. When he got stuck in a corner, I rose to run and jump down to the ground floor. But as soon as I stood, the vampire was on me; he’d lured me out (Freakout #4)! I fought. I did a little damage. I died. I watched my friends rush in over my dead body. We failed again.
I reconstructed and went back to the high-rise to wait for the team to regroup and my death effect to fade (this was starting to sound familiar!). While I was standing there waiting and looking at my nails, the vampire came charging out of the building and engaged me (Freakout #5)! Flabbergasted, flat-footed, death-effected, I fumbled my defense as he hacked away at me for a third time. In a few seconds I was down to less than 10% hit points, and Lshink rushed in, taking on the fell monster singlehandedly and telling me to get out. From a distance, SthenViper poured hacker fire down. I hyperjumped to a building top to sit for a few seconds, and jumped back down to rejoin the fight as they finished off the uber-vamp. The third mission was an absurd anti-climax.
This second encounter was an absolutely brilliant piece of work. At every turn the vampire was one step ahead of us, and he consistently out-thought us. We only won through sheer mass; we never out-smarted him. Props to the devs for such brilliance. But devs, please remember that brilliance is best in small doses.
Anyone else care to share scariest moments?
This memoir may be found at manifoldmischief.blogspot.com, along with other reviews and writings relevant to MxO.
Sugar Shack 11: Mission Reviews: The Coroner: Grave Undertakings
Sugar Shack 11: Mission Reviews: The Coroner: Grave Undertakings
The Coroner
In past mishes I worked with gangsters and two-timers. With cold-hearted killers and hot-blooded flirts. But nothing prepared me for The Coroner. He stands out on the street in Baldwin Heights (-179/19/433) waiting for you to do his bidding. He looks like a butcher taking a smoke break, with the apron and the dour, fish-eye look. And he doesn’t make small talk. Other Exiles, like Beryl, always seemed to be by my side, offering insights and praise. Not so the Coroner. I ran his missions on hard, and found they lived up to the name. In fact, the first mission of his was one of the scariest times I’ve ever experienced in this game. More on this later.
1. Knock, Knock
For some Mengelian experiments, the Coroner requires rare materials. Unfortunately, these must be extracted from corpses. Worse, as he sheepishly admits, “these cadavers are not yet dead. Well then on your way.” All for science! The first target is a retired policeman with many elite guard friends; Devastation Field helped a lot here. The second is a 51+ level blood noble, an ancient guy who does not go kindly into the night. After these exhausting fights, the final hit, on a bunch of dog pounders, seems like a walk in the park. This mish features very hard fights, and lots of running around. And I have to admit that I did not feel happy about what I had done at the end. Maybe it’s cuz he didn’t pay all that well.
“Knock, knock” also has the distinction of being the scariest mish I ever ran in beta; more on this later in a separate installment of Sugar Shack to follow this one.
And maybe a bug remains. I killed the blood noble in one room with a guard. Apparently he had been wandering. Then I wandered into “his” room, saw a random corpse, and only then got the message that he was dead.
2. Falling Into Place
The Coroner specializes in weird science; he lets others handle the details. In this case, two incriminating surveillance tapes must be purloined and erased. These are stored in safes, so access keys must be obtained. This mish features some tough fighting with security folks. And not all that much running around, unlike the first one. Now, back in beta, this mish was famously bugged, and it is a serious pleasure to finally have everything running so smoothly. Our endless bug reports were not in vain, everyone!
3. The Last Time (significance of the name is not clear)
His lab is under attack (perhaps relatives of his subjects from the first mish?) and you need to stop it. At “Hard”, you are up against eight or so three-chevron Level 51s, who have awesome viral resistance. This maxed-out hacker died several times. We learn the story of their leader: Crow, a captain who left Zion to take up a mercenary’s life, apparently in the service of the Merovingian. She offers you a chance to walk away from this with no hard feelings; of course I spurned her gesture and slew her. There was much fighting in this mish and not all that much loot. And by the time you’re level 50, what do xps matter? So as I stood amidst the carnage, I was left with little except the satisfaction of making the world safer for the Coroner, a wan pleasure indeed.
4. The Plan
One of his journals has been stolen by Hypatia, and the Coroner wants you to get it back from her storehouse before its encryption is broken. This involves substantial fighting, after which the encrypted journal just has to be dropped off. Not bad! Finally one where I don’t feel bad about winning!
5. Payback
Like every affronted Exile, the Coroner wants payback. In this case it is a little more imaginative than most. Hypatia will soon in negotiations with The Chef for something, and the Coroner wants to get him a file which will publicly and deeply embarrass her. You must deal with an organization called “The Network” to get the file. Some cute moments. One outspoken bluepill wonders what life is like in our world. Another claims to be the real brains behind a world-famous chef and her TV show. Finally, after much running around for substantial distances, the “meddlesome bookworm” has been dealt with.
And that’s it! No praise, no thanks, no nothing. Your patron barely glances at you as he returns to his bizarre researches. So, The Coroner’s mishes are not for the faint or heart or the weak of level. Completists will seek them out. Anyone loving tough action will enjoy them. And compared to many mishes, I found these quite intense, in tone as well as action. And they contributed to one of my most memorable experiences ever in MxO, as I will explain in the next edition of Sugar Shack.
Note: Special thanks go to my brothers and sisters in arms last night for their help with the last two mishes: Sattakan, Illyria1, Seraya, Roukan, and Blackfir3. They turned bloody drudgery into fun.
This review may be found at manifoldmischief.blogspot.com, along with other reviews and writings relevant to MxO.
The Coroner
In past mishes I worked with gangsters and two-timers. With cold-hearted killers and hot-blooded flirts. But nothing prepared me for The Coroner. He stands out on the street in Baldwin Heights (-179/19/433) waiting for you to do his bidding. He looks like a butcher taking a smoke break, with the apron and the dour, fish-eye look. And he doesn’t make small talk. Other Exiles, like Beryl, always seemed to be by my side, offering insights and praise. Not so the Coroner. I ran his missions on hard, and found they lived up to the name. In fact, the first mission of his was one of the scariest times I’ve ever experienced in this game. More on this later.
1. Knock, Knock
For some Mengelian experiments, the Coroner requires rare materials. Unfortunately, these must be extracted from corpses. Worse, as he sheepishly admits, “these cadavers are not yet dead. Well then on your way.” All for science! The first target is a retired policeman with many elite guard friends; Devastation Field helped a lot here. The second is a 51+ level blood noble, an ancient guy who does not go kindly into the night. After these exhausting fights, the final hit, on a bunch of dog pounders, seems like a walk in the park. This mish features very hard fights, and lots of running around. And I have to admit that I did not feel happy about what I had done at the end. Maybe it’s cuz he didn’t pay all that well.
“Knock, knock” also has the distinction of being the scariest mish I ever ran in beta; more on this later in a separate installment of Sugar Shack to follow this one.
And maybe a bug remains. I killed the blood noble in one room with a guard. Apparently he had been wandering. Then I wandered into “his” room, saw a random corpse, and only then got the message that he was dead.
2. Falling Into Place
The Coroner specializes in weird science; he lets others handle the details. In this case, two incriminating surveillance tapes must be purloined and erased. These are stored in safes, so access keys must be obtained. This mish features some tough fighting with security folks. And not all that much running around, unlike the first one. Now, back in beta, this mish was famously bugged, and it is a serious pleasure to finally have everything running so smoothly. Our endless bug reports were not in vain, everyone!
3. The Last Time (significance of the name is not clear)
His lab is under attack (perhaps relatives of his subjects from the first mish?) and you need to stop it. At “Hard”, you are up against eight or so three-chevron Level 51s, who have awesome viral resistance. This maxed-out hacker died several times. We learn the story of their leader: Crow, a captain who left Zion to take up a mercenary’s life, apparently in the service of the Merovingian. She offers you a chance to walk away from this with no hard feelings; of course I spurned her gesture and slew her. There was much fighting in this mish and not all that much loot. And by the time you’re level 50, what do xps matter? So as I stood amidst the carnage, I was left with little except the satisfaction of making the world safer for the Coroner, a wan pleasure indeed.
4. The Plan
One of his journals has been stolen by Hypatia, and the Coroner wants you to get it back from her storehouse before its encryption is broken. This involves substantial fighting, after which the encrypted journal just has to be dropped off. Not bad! Finally one where I don’t feel bad about winning!
5. Payback
Like every affronted Exile, the Coroner wants payback. In this case it is a little more imaginative than most. Hypatia will soon in negotiations with The Chef for something, and the Coroner wants to get him a file which will publicly and deeply embarrass her. You must deal with an organization called “The Network” to get the file. Some cute moments. One outspoken bluepill wonders what life is like in our world. Another claims to be the real brains behind a world-famous chef and her TV show. Finally, after much running around for substantial distances, the “meddlesome bookworm” has been dealt with.
And that’s it! No praise, no thanks, no nothing. Your patron barely glances at you as he returns to his bizarre researches. So, The Coroner’s mishes are not for the faint or heart or the weak of level. Completists will seek them out. Anyone loving tough action will enjoy them. And compared to many mishes, I found these quite intense, in tone as well as action. And they contributed to one of my most memorable experiences ever in MxO, as I will explain in the next edition of Sugar Shack.
Note: Special thanks go to my brothers and sisters in arms last night for their help with the last two mishes: Sattakan, Illyria1, Seraya, Roukan, and Blackfir3. They turned bloody drudgery into fun.
This review may be found at manifoldmischief.blogspot.com, along with other reviews and writings relevant to MxO.
Monday, November 28, 2005
Sugar Shack 10: Mission Review: Argon: Bland Menace
Sugar Shack 10: Mission Reviews: Argon, Bland Bane of Two Girls
Argon is located near a bar on one of the upper floors of Club Duality, in Kedemoth (587/181/-913). Sugar Shack readers know him well, from my reports on the mish suites for Beryl (his girlfriend) and Anti-M (his rival), but when I approached the young-looking, demanding Exile, he did not seem to know of my past. He accepted me as a hired gun, and immediately gave me work against the very people who had recently employed me. I felt a vague twinge of conscience, sure, but work is work. His mishes were nothing out of the ordinary, and I kept thinking that more could have been done to liven them up and make them interesting. But perhaps the bland mishes are meant to reflect the bland simple malice of their sponsor. Well, it’s a charitable interpretation!
1. Bug the Broad
When we meet Argon for the first time, he tells us, “Listen up, Sugaree. I heard you been helping the other Exiles; well, I’ll let you know right now: you’ve been dealing with chumps. I’m the real deal, right?” And all his mishes underline the image of an aspiring Al Capone, seeking respect and validation. Here, in this first one, we must plant a bug in Beryl’s network because Argon worries about her and Anti-M (as well he should!). The entry and execution is straightforward, and at the end, as I was counting my info, he burst out, “You actually did it? Ahh, I mean, yeah, great work there, Sugaree!”. Thank for the confidence, bro!
2. The Phone List
Argon informs me at the outset that he worries that Beryl has been two-timing him. The distrustful gangster wants to know about Beryl’s social circle and socializing, which requires you to retrieve a copy of her contact list. Most people would hack for this, no? But Argon wants the personal touch, and perhaps some intimidating visuals as well. Otherwise, a break-and-enter. Having done all the mishes for Beryl and Anti-M, I could have just told him, but figured it would be better for him to find out for himself.
3. Dig Up Something Good
Exile Digger is on Argon’s blacklist, and your task is to steal three files from him. Not all the files are obviously accessible, but otherwise the mish is a standard break-and-enter. This is a notable mish because it is the only time we learn of Argon’s connections with other major Exiles. Tragically, we cannot read the contents of the files, and I was left dying to know what was in them. Argon’s praise – “Hey, that’s great, Sugaree. Top job.” – did little to satisfy my consuming curiosity.
4. Sending a Message.
Argons continues to feel the need to assert his disapproval of his rival. This time, he asks you to assault one of her offices and kidnap a beancounter. For this he wants someone who cannot be traced, and that’s you. Plus, Argon informed me, “he’s just a pencilneck and he knows better than to cross someone like you.” Yeah! What he said! This is an escort mish, and you have to keep your ward alive. It took me more than one try.
5. Set Her Up The Bomb
Now it’s time to “get serious” with Anti-M, says Argon. He then tasks you with planting a bomb in one of Anti-M’s operation centers. Nothing mind-bending: you travel there, deal with some guards, and plant the explosive.
These mishes are straightforward, bread-and-butter. We learn little of the relations among the exiles other than from his suspicions. And though Argon clearly styles himself “the real deal”, it’s not clear at all who he works with or against. It might be that these five mishes were originally viewed as preliminary, and once I had proven my worth from small domestic chores, he would accept me into the operations of his professional activities. But this has not come to pass. Basically, he seems like a thug. In essence, Argon’s mishes are lightly-adapted standard mishes, still a diversion from the standard ones while helping people powerlevel.
What could have made these even more enjoyable? Well, I had already done the mishes for his girlfriend and rival before contacting him. If the AI detected this and reflected this in its responses, it would be even better. More of a departure from the standard mish format would have been nice. More on Digger and the contents of the files would have wonderful. And some responses from Argon reflecting his surroundings in Club Duality would have been great, something like inviting me to have a drink, talking expansively about his business, etc. Standing impassively in the purple mists of Club Duality, he could have styled himself like the Merv, etc.
Argon is located near a bar on one of the upper floors of Club Duality, in Kedemoth (587/181/-913). Sugar Shack readers know him well, from my reports on the mish suites for Beryl (his girlfriend) and Anti-M (his rival), but when I approached the young-looking, demanding Exile, he did not seem to know of my past. He accepted me as a hired gun, and immediately gave me work against the very people who had recently employed me. I felt a vague twinge of conscience, sure, but work is work. His mishes were nothing out of the ordinary, and I kept thinking that more could have been done to liven them up and make them interesting. But perhaps the bland mishes are meant to reflect the bland simple malice of their sponsor. Well, it’s a charitable interpretation!
1. Bug the Broad
When we meet Argon for the first time, he tells us, “Listen up, Sugaree. I heard you been helping the other Exiles; well, I’ll let you know right now: you’ve been dealing with chumps. I’m the real deal, right?” And all his mishes underline the image of an aspiring Al Capone, seeking respect and validation. Here, in this first one, we must plant a bug in Beryl’s network because Argon worries about her and Anti-M (as well he should!). The entry and execution is straightforward, and at the end, as I was counting my info, he burst out, “You actually did it? Ahh, I mean, yeah, great work there, Sugaree!”. Thank for the confidence, bro!
2. The Phone List
Argon informs me at the outset that he worries that Beryl has been two-timing him. The distrustful gangster wants to know about Beryl’s social circle and socializing, which requires you to retrieve a copy of her contact list. Most people would hack for this, no? But Argon wants the personal touch, and perhaps some intimidating visuals as well. Otherwise, a break-and-enter. Having done all the mishes for Beryl and Anti-M, I could have just told him, but figured it would be better for him to find out for himself.
3. Dig Up Something Good
Exile Digger is on Argon’s blacklist, and your task is to steal three files from him. Not all the files are obviously accessible, but otherwise the mish is a standard break-and-enter. This is a notable mish because it is the only time we learn of Argon’s connections with other major Exiles. Tragically, we cannot read the contents of the files, and I was left dying to know what was in them. Argon’s praise – “Hey, that’s great, Sugaree. Top job.” – did little to satisfy my consuming curiosity.
4. Sending a Message.
Argons continues to feel the need to assert his disapproval of his rival. This time, he asks you to assault one of her offices and kidnap a beancounter. For this he wants someone who cannot be traced, and that’s you. Plus, Argon informed me, “he’s just a pencilneck and he knows better than to cross someone like you.” Yeah! What he said! This is an escort mish, and you have to keep your ward alive. It took me more than one try.
5. Set Her Up The Bomb
Now it’s time to “get serious” with Anti-M, says Argon. He then tasks you with planting a bomb in one of Anti-M’s operation centers. Nothing mind-bending: you travel there, deal with some guards, and plant the explosive.
These mishes are straightforward, bread-and-butter. We learn little of the relations among the exiles other than from his suspicions. And though Argon clearly styles himself “the real deal”, it’s not clear at all who he works with or against. It might be that these five mishes were originally viewed as preliminary, and once I had proven my worth from small domestic chores, he would accept me into the operations of his professional activities. But this has not come to pass. Basically, he seems like a thug. In essence, Argon’s mishes are lightly-adapted standard mishes, still a diversion from the standard ones while helping people powerlevel.
What could have made these even more enjoyable? Well, I had already done the mishes for his girlfriend and rival before contacting him. If the AI detected this and reflected this in its responses, it would be even better. More of a departure from the standard mish format would have been nice. More on Digger and the contents of the files would have wonderful. And some responses from Argon reflecting his surroundings in Club Duality would have been great, something like inviting me to have a drink, talking expansively about his business, etc. Standing impassively in the purple mists of Club Duality, he could have styled himself like the Merv, etc.
Thursday, November 24, 2005
SugarShack 09: Reflections on QA: Where Can We Go Now?
Sugar Shack 09: Reflections on QA: Where Can We Go Now?
For more than a year now I have played MxO, through various builds, character wipes, and twists and turns. Two things have struck me about the QA evolution of the game: it has not evolved, and it is not effective. Fortunately, there are simply, relative cost-free solutions, which will help sustain the land we love. But some things done by the devs will need to adapt. Now, here I will be using the term devs broadly. Strictly speaking, the devs are the folks who sit and code features and content all day long, as distinct from content designers, artists, mission designers, world architects, combat architects, etc. For the sake of simplicity I’ll be referring to them all as devs: the people who provide the game.
To begin with, here are four examples from recent history. Believe me I could provide a whole lot more, but it would be painful and superfluous.
1. The SaiKung Shuffle: Endless running between three or four close buildings permitted people to rack up fast, vast xps. Apparently, the devs did not think about this. Since running from one place to another is not an exploit (nor, by the way, is efficiency), this must be attributed to bad planning and poor design.
Key problem: No tester thought like a player, to find a way to level as quickly as possible. Bingo! Lack of contact with customer!
2. Sudden instability in items. Walrus thoughtfully gives us a long list of items suddenly and silently affected by quick decay. “Lack of communication” prevented this from being conveyed until many people had seen items start to unravel almost before their very eyes. And these are items _not_on_Walrus’_list_.
Key problem (likely): No tester characters were prepped like real characters: with tons of junk. No one noticed the effects on other items. They only focused on the items on the list, and never thought about others. See the methodological problem here?
3. The mission timer. Remember this one? Players were penalized for being efficient, and rewarded for being disorganized and slow! Is there anywhere else in the universe where this happens? What were the devs thinking!
Key problem: No one played like players do, and no one thought about how players would respond to the hamhanded communications (or lack thereof).
4. The /afk emote. Remember this? Announced and documented, and DOA/MIA. How hard would it have been to test this and make sure it worked in the final patch build before sending the patch out? Apparently too hard, because no one did.
Key problem (likely): No one tested it, or no one communicated it. Either is a dismal choice.
These are to my mind representative, not definitive. And they have gone on for more then a year, so it’s hard to say “Oh, it was due to team turnover” or “management transition” or whatever. So, having pointed to a problem, I would like to suggest a solution.
One, the devs need to spent more time in the game.
We all occasionally hear of clans that claim to have devs or admins in them. Or, anyway, people who claim to be devs. Sure could have fooled me! Were this to be true, more realistic feedback to the devs would have prevented calamities like the ones I have described. Remember back in beta when some of the devs came in to play their own game, and got soundly whipped? That’s a symptom of a dev team inadequately experienced with their own creation. And it is seldom a recipe for success.
Two, the QA team needs to use characters for testing which model real characters.
In fact, they would do well to simply copy or model various existing characters from the game. This would have identified, for example, the problem with items decaying. Clearly they tested it with the items on the list. Clearly they did not test it with other items. Testing with characters outfitted the way real characters are would help avoid mistakes like this.
Three, in many areas the players know more then the devs do, when it should be the reverse.
For example, there are people in my clan and other clans who have spent months and months tinkering with builds to get the right combination of skills at the right level for any occasion. They are more cognizant of this than the devs are. The devs need to find a way to approach, learn, and assimilate this knowledge. Otherwise, they will be inventing the wheel, and there’s no guarantee that theirs will be round.
Four, the devs need to be more systematic and disciplined in QA and testing.
Most of the problems I have discussed so far stem from inadequate testing. But how can testing be improved? Make it more systematic and more realistic. In the Software Development LifeCycle, you have what is called unit testing. You try each piece of code or each process individually, and then in small combinations with others to make sure that they do what they are supposed to do, without unintended consequences. This is easy to do with a few modules. It’s very hard to do with dozens or hundreds. But there are standardized tools, called test scripts, test plans, and test cases, that help focus on likely problems. For example if you want to make sure that an item has an accelerated rate of decay, you might:
- Have a test character with the item and nothing else run in circles for hours and establish a baseline rate of decay.
- Have the same character with a new instance of the item run through 100 hardlines (25 from each major area) and see if the rate is present, and consistent.
- Have the same character use the teleporters in dungeons 100 times, and see if the rate is present, and consistent.
- Have the same character email the item back and forth 30 times and see if the rate is present, and consistent.
- Have the same character transfer the item to someone else and see if the rate is present, and consistent.
- Have the same character jack in and out a few dozen times with the same item and see if the rate is present, and consistent.
- Have a computer with the same character suddenly lose its network connection or get hard-rebooted a few dozen times, and see if the decay rate is present, and consistent.
- Have a coder decompile and recompile the item 10 or 20 times, and make sure the recreations are all uniform.
Then do the above with other buffed or non-buffed items to establish a real baseline, and make sure it works. Each of the above is a test case. All of them together form a test plan.
Maybe some of these cases are irrelevant, maybe the numbers of test instances are excessive, but you get the idea that you have to test something in as many relevant circumstances as can be imagined, in order to make sure that things go the right way. Monolith did some things along these lines in beta- remember the hordes of numbered little bots that ran around and did things? That was more server load testing, if I recall correctly. And there are many automated test tools available for quality assurance work.
Now, many people reading this will say this is too expensive and too much hassle. I encourage them to review the performance blunders noted above, and reconsider. After all, in life the cost of not testing is all too often much higher than the cost of not testing. Think of the Pinto, the O-Rings, and any number of air crashes.
These approaches will yield a better game. But there is likely no budget for more testers (assuming there are any!). But who needs more paid testers when they have us?
How can the community help? If SOE ever re-establishes a QA server, we need to invest serious time on it. But simply having us all transfer our characters over there is of limited value. A flood of 50s tells the devs nothing about how low, intermediate, and developing levels experience any proposed changes, and they are the new markets the game must cultivate. I’m willing to roll up a new character for this (named prettyprettyprincess), and I hope others are as well.
So I would like to challenge the devs to prepare tasks for us on the QA server. Try new abilities in various combinations. Try new items in various actions and combinations. Try new mishes individually and with groups. Try emailing this and that. Etc. In essence, simply opening a QA server will not yield the input the devs need, They need a more disciplined, systematic approach to QA. There is likely no budget for a flood of testing staff (even timeshared with other SOE games), but careful and constructive use of the user community can achieve much the same effect.
This might all sound negative, so let me hasten to say they have done some things well. The Halloween stuff, very tightly focused, went very smoothly. And the Pandora’s Box mish arcs have been well-planned, imaginatively conceived and written, and not unbalancing at all. Grats grats to all involved, for showing that it can be done! There has clearly been some QA success in MxO; we can only hope that some best practices are percolating through the rest of the game team.
Conclusion:
- Devs need more time ingame. Serious time!
- QA has been dismal, and needs a radical re-think.
- QA needs to be systematic and disciplined
- The QA server is a fabulous opportunity but it must also be used in a systematic manner.
This will avoid past catastrophes, enhance dev control and contribute to excellence in execution. What’s not to like?
For more than a year now I have played MxO, through various builds, character wipes, and twists and turns. Two things have struck me about the QA evolution of the game: it has not evolved, and it is not effective. Fortunately, there are simply, relative cost-free solutions, which will help sustain the land we love. But some things done by the devs will need to adapt. Now, here I will be using the term devs broadly. Strictly speaking, the devs are the folks who sit and code features and content all day long, as distinct from content designers, artists, mission designers, world architects, combat architects, etc. For the sake of simplicity I’ll be referring to them all as devs: the people who provide the game.
To begin with, here are four examples from recent history. Believe me I could provide a whole lot more, but it would be painful and superfluous.
1. The SaiKung Shuffle: Endless running between three or four close buildings permitted people to rack up fast, vast xps. Apparently, the devs did not think about this. Since running from one place to another is not an exploit (nor, by the way, is efficiency), this must be attributed to bad planning and poor design.
Key problem: No tester thought like a player, to find a way to level as quickly as possible. Bingo! Lack of contact with customer!
2. Sudden instability in items. Walrus thoughtfully gives us a long list of items suddenly and silently affected by quick decay. “Lack of communication” prevented this from being conveyed until many people had seen items start to unravel almost before their very eyes. And these are items _not_on_Walrus’_list_.
Key problem (likely): No tester characters were prepped like real characters: with tons of junk. No one noticed the effects on other items. They only focused on the items on the list, and never thought about others. See the methodological problem here?
3. The mission timer. Remember this one? Players were penalized for being efficient, and rewarded for being disorganized and slow! Is there anywhere else in the universe where this happens? What were the devs thinking!
Key problem: No one played like players do, and no one thought about how players would respond to the hamhanded communications (or lack thereof).
4. The /afk emote. Remember this? Announced and documented, and DOA/MIA. How hard would it have been to test this and make sure it worked in the final patch build before sending the patch out? Apparently too hard, because no one did.
Key problem (likely): No one tested it, or no one communicated it. Either is a dismal choice.
These are to my mind representative, not definitive. And they have gone on for more then a year, so it’s hard to say “Oh, it was due to team turnover” or “management transition” or whatever. So, having pointed to a problem, I would like to suggest a solution.
One, the devs need to spent more time in the game.
We all occasionally hear of clans that claim to have devs or admins in them. Or, anyway, people who claim to be devs. Sure could have fooled me! Were this to be true, more realistic feedback to the devs would have prevented calamities like the ones I have described. Remember back in beta when some of the devs came in to play their own game, and got soundly whipped? That’s a symptom of a dev team inadequately experienced with their own creation. And it is seldom a recipe for success.
Two, the QA team needs to use characters for testing which model real characters.
In fact, they would do well to simply copy or model various existing characters from the game. This would have identified, for example, the problem with items decaying. Clearly they tested it with the items on the list. Clearly they did not test it with other items. Testing with characters outfitted the way real characters are would help avoid mistakes like this.
Three, in many areas the players know more then the devs do, when it should be the reverse.
For example, there are people in my clan and other clans who have spent months and months tinkering with builds to get the right combination of skills at the right level for any occasion. They are more cognizant of this than the devs are. The devs need to find a way to approach, learn, and assimilate this knowledge. Otherwise, they will be inventing the wheel, and there’s no guarantee that theirs will be round.
Four, the devs need to be more systematic and disciplined in QA and testing.
Most of the problems I have discussed so far stem from inadequate testing. But how can testing be improved? Make it more systematic and more realistic. In the Software Development LifeCycle, you have what is called unit testing. You try each piece of code or each process individually, and then in small combinations with others to make sure that they do what they are supposed to do, without unintended consequences. This is easy to do with a few modules. It’s very hard to do with dozens or hundreds. But there are standardized tools, called test scripts, test plans, and test cases, that help focus on likely problems. For example if you want to make sure that an item has an accelerated rate of decay, you might:
- Have a test character with the item and nothing else run in circles for hours and establish a baseline rate of decay.
- Have the same character with a new instance of the item run through 100 hardlines (25 from each major area) and see if the rate is present, and consistent.
- Have the same character use the teleporters in dungeons 100 times, and see if the rate is present, and consistent.
- Have the same character email the item back and forth 30 times and see if the rate is present, and consistent.
- Have the same character transfer the item to someone else and see if the rate is present, and consistent.
- Have the same character jack in and out a few dozen times with the same item and see if the rate is present, and consistent.
- Have a computer with the same character suddenly lose its network connection or get hard-rebooted a few dozen times, and see if the decay rate is present, and consistent.
- Have a coder decompile and recompile the item 10 or 20 times, and make sure the recreations are all uniform.
Then do the above with other buffed or non-buffed items to establish a real baseline, and make sure it works. Each of the above is a test case. All of them together form a test plan.
Maybe some of these cases are irrelevant, maybe the numbers of test instances are excessive, but you get the idea that you have to test something in as many relevant circumstances as can be imagined, in order to make sure that things go the right way. Monolith did some things along these lines in beta- remember the hordes of numbered little bots that ran around and did things? That was more server load testing, if I recall correctly. And there are many automated test tools available for quality assurance work.
Now, many people reading this will say this is too expensive and too much hassle. I encourage them to review the performance blunders noted above, and reconsider. After all, in life the cost of not testing is all too often much higher than the cost of not testing. Think of the Pinto, the O-Rings, and any number of air crashes.
These approaches will yield a better game. But there is likely no budget for more testers (assuming there are any!). But who needs more paid testers when they have us?
How can the community help? If SOE ever re-establishes a QA server, we need to invest serious time on it. But simply having us all transfer our characters over there is of limited value. A flood of 50s tells the devs nothing about how low, intermediate, and developing levels experience any proposed changes, and they are the new markets the game must cultivate. I’m willing to roll up a new character for this (named prettyprettyprincess), and I hope others are as well.
So I would like to challenge the devs to prepare tasks for us on the QA server. Try new abilities in various combinations. Try new items in various actions and combinations. Try new mishes individually and with groups. Try emailing this and that. Etc. In essence, simply opening a QA server will not yield the input the devs need, They need a more disciplined, systematic approach to QA. There is likely no budget for a flood of testing staff (even timeshared with other SOE games), but careful and constructive use of the user community can achieve much the same effect.
This might all sound negative, so let me hasten to say they have done some things well. The Halloween stuff, very tightly focused, went very smoothly. And the Pandora’s Box mish arcs have been well-planned, imaginatively conceived and written, and not unbalancing at all. Grats grats to all involved, for showing that it can be done! There has clearly been some QA success in MxO; we can only hope that some best practices are percolating through the rest of the game team.
Conclusion:
- Devs need more time ingame. Serious time!
- QA has been dismal, and needs a radical re-think.
- QA needs to be systematic and disciplined
- The QA server is a fabulous opportunity but it must also be used in a systematic manner.
This will avoid past catastrophes, enhance dev control and contribute to excellence in execution. What’s not to like?
SugarShack 08 Mission Reviews: Lotus!!!
Long, long before my turn at beta ever came up, I used to peruse the MxO site regularly, studying every word that Tyndall wrote about Megacity and its inhabitants. I longed to learn more of the Library and its books that would open portals to realms unknown, and dreamed of indenturing myself to the Librarian to learn his secrets. (To this day, I believe the construct access books were originally intended to be obtained from him, not some random bookstore.) Others too, caught my fancy in those dark days of ignorance, illuminated only by my imagination. The foremost of these was Lotus, sultry songstress of the International.
Tyndall herself admitted to fascination with Lotus and her haunting slogs; I daydreamed of meeting her on missions and talking to her, imagining myself sitting in the tea house, sipping Formosa Oolong, intoxicated with her melodies, perhaps studying the Librarian’s mysteries… Oh, what a rush it was, like reading Keats while listening to Enya or something.
Alas, I got into beta, stayed with the game for more than a year, and never had either opportunity. The Librarian is nowhere to be seen, and until very recently, Lotus was merely a cut-out for Tyndall. And when she turned up at The Jade Room (Jurong, -120, -6, -199) recently, I could not bring myself to talk to her initially, so great was the inner burden of my expectation. But speak to her I did, and give me critical missions she did. I report on them below. This was a very special occasion for me.
Mish 01: Carry a Tune
This is fairly straightforward; I was tasked with carrying a music CD from Bouzerah to Minnie. Minnie, it turns out, has been seriously injured during a fight with enemies of Lotus, and _needs_ the power of Lotus’ compositions, Track 9 in particular, which possess a healing effect. This is a very creative idea; it would be good to see more done with imaginative notions like this.
Mish 02: Change of Tune
In this mish, initially quite similar to the first, you recover an illegal copy of Lotus’ music from a server and take it to someone who needs its palliative effects. However, this copy has been tainted, so instead of healing it does something quite different! You must stop it before too much harm is done. This time, Lotus is angry! And who wouldn’t blame her? It’s as if you put on a CD labeled Tracey Chapman, and out comes Eminem!
Mish 03: Dissonance
You plant a bug (perhaps using the Sony rootkit!), and then find the thieves who have stolen the mix. You find them and get the tape. But others need its healing immediately, and you must quickly get it to them.
Mish 04: Suicide Notes
Lotus has heard of some experimental work being done with the neural network effects of music, and needs you to obtain some samples for her. These are then delivered to some other appreciative exiles, who don’t show the congenial response you might expect.
Mish 05: Crescendo
This mish must be a record industry executive's fantasy. Together with a team of Lotus’ operatives, you must overcome a group which has been pirating Lotus’ work. “You’re the only one I can count on” Lotus told me breathlessly. There is a crunch with Blood Drunks, and many a /throat gesture. When the tape has been put on, one burly Elite Guard blurts “I like flowers” (apparently some mods in some games take their inspiration from the elite guards- go figure!). In addition to eliminating the pirates, you must reboot their server.
At the end the cryptic Lotus gushed to me, “You’ve exceeded my expectations again, Sugaree. There’s something special about you, I just cannot put my finger on it”. I wish I could say the same about this suite of missions. Granted, my expectations were so inflamed with anticipation that perhaps no one could have satisfied me. But more feedback from Lotus during the mishes would have been nice. And more backstory would have been nice: why people were stealing her music, what her goals were, her relations with other exiles, etc. The textual allusions to music, mostly in the mission titles, were witty. If the designers had actually, you know, _used_ some special music for these mishes (just two or three five-second segments), the effect would have been delightful. Also, since the story brims with parallels to the music industry’s efforts to squelch music sharing, some more direct allusions, ironic or heartfelt, would have been good.
One logical objection to all this is that Lotus could simply have emailed her music to any and all who needed it. Perhaps she was worried about network traffic analysis, and wanted the human touch to minimize the chances of detection. But making excuses for mission features is outside the scope of this review.
Tyndall herself admitted to fascination with Lotus and her haunting slogs; I daydreamed of meeting her on missions and talking to her, imagining myself sitting in the tea house, sipping Formosa Oolong, intoxicated with her melodies, perhaps studying the Librarian’s mysteries… Oh, what a rush it was, like reading Keats while listening to Enya or something.
Alas, I got into beta, stayed with the game for more than a year, and never had either opportunity. The Librarian is nowhere to be seen, and until very recently, Lotus was merely a cut-out for Tyndall. And when she turned up at The Jade Room (Jurong, -120, -6, -199) recently, I could not bring myself to talk to her initially, so great was the inner burden of my expectation. But speak to her I did, and give me critical missions she did. I report on them below. This was a very special occasion for me.
Mish 01: Carry a Tune
This is fairly straightforward; I was tasked with carrying a music CD from Bouzerah to Minnie. Minnie, it turns out, has been seriously injured during a fight with enemies of Lotus, and _needs_ the power of Lotus’ compositions, Track 9 in particular, which possess a healing effect. This is a very creative idea; it would be good to see more done with imaginative notions like this.
Mish 02: Change of Tune
In this mish, initially quite similar to the first, you recover an illegal copy of Lotus’ music from a server and take it to someone who needs its palliative effects. However, this copy has been tainted, so instead of healing it does something quite different! You must stop it before too much harm is done. This time, Lotus is angry! And who wouldn’t blame her? It’s as if you put on a CD labeled Tracey Chapman, and out comes Eminem!
Mish 03: Dissonance
You plant a bug (perhaps using the Sony rootkit!), and then find the thieves who have stolen the mix. You find them and get the tape. But others need its healing immediately, and you must quickly get it to them.
Mish 04: Suicide Notes
Lotus has heard of some experimental work being done with the neural network effects of music, and needs you to obtain some samples for her. These are then delivered to some other appreciative exiles, who don’t show the congenial response you might expect.
Mish 05: Crescendo
This mish must be a record industry executive's fantasy. Together with a team of Lotus’ operatives, you must overcome a group which has been pirating Lotus’ work. “You’re the only one I can count on” Lotus told me breathlessly. There is a crunch with Blood Drunks, and many a /throat gesture. When the tape has been put on, one burly Elite Guard blurts “I like flowers” (apparently some mods in some games take their inspiration from the elite guards- go figure!). In addition to eliminating the pirates, you must reboot their server.
At the end the cryptic Lotus gushed to me, “You’ve exceeded my expectations again, Sugaree. There’s something special about you, I just cannot put my finger on it”. I wish I could say the same about this suite of missions. Granted, my expectations were so inflamed with anticipation that perhaps no one could have satisfied me. But more feedback from Lotus during the mishes would have been nice. And more backstory would have been nice: why people were stealing her music, what her goals were, her relations with other exiles, etc. The textual allusions to music, mostly in the mission titles, were witty. If the designers had actually, you know, _used_ some special music for these mishes (just two or three five-second segments), the effect would have been delightful. Also, since the story brims with parallels to the music industry’s efforts to squelch music sharing, some more direct allusions, ironic or heartfelt, would have been good.
One logical objection to all this is that Lotus could simply have emailed her music to any and all who needed it. Perhaps she was worried about network traffic analysis, and wanted the human touch to minimize the chances of detection. But making excuses for mission features is outside the scope of this review.
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