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Municipal Corporations, By-laws and ordinances, Town meetings. Words, "Consecutive."
A by-law of a town, which provides that "No by-law in this code shall be repealed or amended, and no by-law shall be added thereto, unless such repeal, amendment or addition shall be adopted by two consecutive legally called town meetings, the date of the last meeting to be not less than two months from the date of the first meeting," requires that the second meeting that acts on the repeal or amendment of a by-law should be the next meeting that is held after the expiration of two months from the first meeting, although other meetings may have been held during the two months' interval for the transaction of other town business.
A by-law of a town, which provides that no by-law of the town shall be repealed or amended unless the repeal or amendment is adopted by two legally called town meetings, the second of which shall be held not less than two months after the first and shall be the next meeting held after the expiration of such two months, is reasonable and valid.
Under St. 1907, c. 560, § 358, (now St. 1913, c. 835, § 396,) which provides that, if the selectmen of a town unreasonably refuse to call a town meeting, a justice of the peace, upon the application of ten or more voters of the town, may call such a meeting, if for a considerable time there have been criticism and unrest in a town regarding the conduct of the board of assessors and the tax collector, and one assessor has been convicted of a crime based on a falsification of the public records, and thereupon about seventy voters of the town by a petition in writing ask the selectmen to call a town meeting in not less than twelve days to consider the repeal of a by-law of the town providing for the election of the town solicitor by the committee on claims, of which the chairman of the board of assessors is ex officio a member, a vote of the selectmen to call a town meeting on a day about ten weeks ahead is equivalent to a refusal to call such a meeting within a reasonable time and justifies a calling of a town meeting by a justice of the peace under the statute.
Where a by-law of a town provided that no by-law of that town should be repealed unless the repeal was adopted by two legally called town meetings, the second of which should be held not less than two months after the first and should be the next meeting held after the expiration of the two months, and where, after
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a vote to repeal a by-law had been passed at a legally called meeting of the town and, before such vote to repeal the by-law was passed at a second town meeting, three other town meetings were held, two of them within two months from the date of the first meeting at which the vote to repeal the by-law was passed and the third after the expiration of such two months, and in the warrant calling such third meeting an article permitting a vote on the repealing of the by-law was omitted intentionally through the misconduct of the selectmen, it was held, that the two town meetings within the two months after the first meeting at which the repeal was voted on did not affect the validity of the repeal, but that the holding of the third meeting after the expiration of such two months rendered the attempted repeal invalid, because the second meeting at which the vote to repeal the by-law was passed was not the next one after the expiration of the two months; and that the misconduct of the selectmen, although unjustifiable, did not dispense with a compliance with the by-law of the town in regard to the requirements for repealing a by-law.
PETITION , filed on May 8, 1914, by Roscoe Walsworth, alleging himself to be the town solicitor of the town of Revere, for a writ of mandamus addressed to Andrew A. Casassa and to the selectmen, the auditors and the members of the committee on claims of that town, alleging that Mr. Casassa claimed to have been elected town solicitor under Article III of the by-laws of the town and that this article had been repealed, and praying that Mr. Casassa might be commanded to refrain from attempting to perform the duties of town solicitor and deliver to the petitioner the key to the town solicitor's office and all papers, records, books and documents in his possession or control belonging to the law department of the town.
Frank Paul, Esquire, was appointed as auditor to hear the parties and their evidence, to find the facts and to report them to the court.
The case came on to be heard upon the petition, the answer, and the auditor's reports (including a supplemental report) before Braley, J., who found the facts to be as stated by the auditor, and, at the request of the respondents, reported the case for determination by the full court. If as matter of law the petitioner was entitled to relief, the writ of mandamus was to issue; otherwise, the petition was to be dismissed.
The material facts as found by the auditor and the single justice are stated in the opinion.
Article III of the by-laws of the town of Revere was as follows:
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"Article III. Committee on Claims.
"Section 1. The Chairman of the Selectmen, Chairman School Committee, Chairman Board of Assessors, Chairman Board of Health, Chairman Sewer Commissioners, Chairman Park Commissioners and Auditors shall constitute a Committee to be known as 'The Committee on Claims,' and shall serve without compensation.
"Section 2. The Committee on Claims shall hereafter on or before the first day of May, and whenever any vacancy shall exist, choose some member of the Suffolk bar, a resident of the Town, if possible, to act as Town Solicitor, who shall be paid such salary as said Committee may direct.
"Section 3. The Chairman of the Selectmen shall call a convention of said officers for the purpose aforesaid, and shall give notice thereof in writing to the several officers entitled to vote therein, seven (7) days at least before said meeting.
"Section 4. Said Committee shall have authority to prosecute, defend and compromise all litigation to which the Town is a party, and to employ special counsel to assist the Town Solicitor whenever in their judgment necessity therefor arises, and shall have custody of the law library of the Town. "Section 5. The term of office of said Solicitor shall begin on the first day of May of each year, and shall continue until the election and acceptance of his successor.
"Section 6. The Town Solicitor shall draft all bonds, deeds, leases, obligations, conveyances and other legal instruments, and do every professional act which may be required of him, by vote of the Town or any Board of Town officers. Also when required by said Boards or any committee of the Town, he shall furnish a written opinion on any legal question that may be submitted to him, and he shall at all times furnish legal advice to any officer of the Town who may require his opinion upon any subject concerning the duties incumbent upon such officer by virtue of his office.
"He shall prosecute all suits ordered to be brought by the Town, and shall appear at any Court in the Commonwealth in defense of all actions or suits brought against the Town or its officers in their official capacity. Also, shall try and argue any and all causes in which the Town shall be a party, before any tribunal, whether in law or in equity, in the Commonwealth, or before any
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Board of Referees or Commission, and shall appear at any and all hearings in behalf of the Town whenever his services may be required."
Article XXI was entitled "Repeal, Amendments, etc.," and is quoted in full in the opinion.
The case was submitted on briefs.
S. R. Cutler & H. W. James, for the respondents.
R. Walsworth, pro se.
RUGG, C. J. The question at issue is whether the petitioner is the town solicitor of the town of Revere. Its answer depends on the determination of an inquiry whether Article III of the bylaws of that town has been repealed. This in turn rests upon the decision whether in attempting such repeal there has been compliance with the requirements of Article XXI of the by-laws. That article is of this tenor: "No by-law in this code shall be repealed or amended, and no by-law shall be added thereto, unless such repeal, amendment or addition shall be adopted by two consecutive legally called Town Meetings, the date of the last meeting to be not less than two (2) months from the date of the first meeting." The meaning of the final words, to the effect that there must be an interval of two months between the two meetings, is not open to doubt. Its purpose plainly was to prevent the repeal of any part of the by-laws by a gust of public opinion and to require that there be a period for deliberate consideration of the subject, so that the abrogation would rest upon the opportunity for mature thought. Its aim is to accomplish as near as may be a repeal based upon careful reflection rather than upon hasty impulse. The rest of the by-law must be interpreted in the light of this provision. The natural import of the words "two consecutive legally called Town Meetings," standing alone, would be that there must be two meetings, the one following the other immediately and without any intervening meeting. A provision that the repealing vote must be passed at two meetings necessarily implies that one meeting must follow the other. The word "consecutive" would be superfluous if given no greater force than merely that one meeting must come after the other. It is a canon of interpretation that effect must be attributed to each word of a by-law or ordinance. The only purpose of introducing the word "consecutive" into this by-law is to require a
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continuity of municipal action, founded upon a sufficiently sustained public sentiment to endure from one meeting to the next. It has a rational purpose in that it would tend to prevent disjointed action at meetings separated by a long period of time, wherein the thought of the people might become forgetful of the subject, and also to frustrate a scheme for the selection of meetings, at the option of those favoring or opposing the repeal, likely to be small in attendance or for any other reason not expressive of the general sentiment of the voters. But the word "consecutive" must be construed in connection with the other provision that at least two months must intervene between the two meetings. It hardly could have been intended that under no circumstances should any town meeting be held in the interval without making necessary the starting anew of the machinery for a repeal. In order that the whole paragraph be consistent, "consecutive" must mean the next meeting held after the expiration of two months from the first. Such two meetings would be consecutive in the sense of the one following the other at the shortest interval permitted by the by-law. It would not hinder the holding of meetings within that interval for the transaction of other town business.
As thus construed, the by-law is reasonable and must be followed. Town by-laws, within their appropriate sphere, are binding upon the town and its citizens. Before becoming effective, it is required that they be approved by some outside authority, formerly a judge of the Superior Court, now the Attorney General. It is well within the scope of the law-making power of the town to provide that they shall not be repealed except after the sufficient delay to insure the establishment of a settled conviction by the voters to that end which is manifested in this by-law.
It remains to examine the facts in the light of the by-law as thus interpreted.
On July 2, 1913, a petition was presented to the selectmen, signed by some seventy voters, asking that a town meeting be called not later than July 14, to take action concerning certain articles therein set forth, one of which was, to see whether the town would repeal Article III of the by-laws. In a preamble to this petition, reference was made to confusion in the assessing and collecting departments of the town as an emergency which
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required prompt action. The selectmen voted to call a town meeting on September 8. Thereupon, a justice of the peace, on July 3, called a town meeting for July 21. He was authorized to do this by St. 1907, c. 560, § 358, (now St. 1913, c. 835, § 396,) provided the selectmen unreasonably had refused to call a town meeting. The auditor finds that there had been for a considerable time criticism and unrest in the town touching the performance of their duties by the board of assessors and tax collector, culminating in the latter part of June in the conviction of one assessor for a crime based on falsification of the public records. This deplorable state of affairs appears to have been regarded as having some connection with the method of town administration prescribed by Article III of the by-laws. A decadent civic spirit and a degenerate municipal consciousness alone would have remained passive under such circumstances. In any town of Massachusetts the natural channel for the expression of public feeling and for the affirmative action of a self respecting community competent to govern itself, in the face of these conditions, is the town meeting. A delay by selectmen to call such a meeting for almost ten weeks, although requested in writing to do so forthwith by more than three score voters, was the equivalent of a refusal to call it within a reasonable time. It abundantly warranted a justice of the peace in exercising the power vested in him by the statute to call a town meeting. At the meeting thus called, the first vote was passed to repeal Article III of the by-laws. Thus far the action of the town was correct in form.
At this meeting about a thousand voters were present, an unusually large attendance. In connection with the vote to repeal, a further vote was passed, requesting the selectmen to call another meeting not earlier than September 22 next, the warrant therefor to contain an article for the repeal of Article III of the by-laws, in order that sixty days might elapse between the meeting then being held and the next, as required by Article XXI of the bylaws. A town meeting was held on August 25 for the sole purpose of electing an assessor of taxes to fill a vacancy. On August 20 a special committee, appointed at the meeting of July 21, requested the selectmen to postpone calling the town meeting which they had voted to call for September 8 until a date not
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earlier than September 22. But the selectmen issued the warrant for a meeting on September 8, omitting any article respecting the repeal of Article III of the by-laws. On September 10 another petition, signed by more than ten voters, was presented to the selectmen, requesting that there be inserted in the warrant for the next town meeting, among other articles, one relating to the repeal of Article III of the by-laws. The board of selectmen voted not to insert this article and called a meeting for October 27 for the consideration of other matters, omitting such an article from the warrant. The next meeting thereafter was held on March 9, 1914, in the warrant for which was an article as to the repeal of Article III of the by-laws. At an adjournment of this meeting a vote was passed to repeal that article. Thus it appears that between the meeting of July 21, 1913, when the first vote to repeal Article III was passed, and that of March 9, 1914, when the second vote to that end was passed, three other town meetings had been held, two of which were within two months from July 21 and one after the termination of that period. Does this comply with Article XXI of the by-laws? The two held before the expiration of two months from the date of the passage of the first repealing vote have no effect. The subject of repeal could not legally have been brought before these meetings under the terms of Article XXI. But that is not true of the meeting held on October 27. That was the next legally called meeting held after the expiration of two months from the meeting of July 21, and hence was "consecutive" to it in the sense in which that word is used in the by-law. It was the next meeting at which the subject legally could have been considered. It was the meeting at which alone the second repealing vote could have been passed.
It is strongly urged that an article permitting such action to be taken was omitted from the warrant for that meeting through the misconduct of the selectmen. That contention is sound. No excuse for them in this respect appears upon the record. The only pretext put forward was that they "considered " themselves "insulted" by action taken upon other matters at the September meeting. Even if they had been insulted, that was no ground for refusing to insert in the warrant for a town meeting an article requested by a vote of the unusually large town meeting held in July and also by a numerously signed petition of the voters. This
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is not an instance of selectmen declining to call a special meeting for the consideration of a matter which could as well wait until a time when several subjects could be combined in one meeting, or refusing to act upon the insistence of a small and factious minority of the voters. On the contrary, important interests of the town were at stake, touching which a large number of voters seemingly were stirred deeply with sufficient reason, and the selectmen arbitrarily, without justification, refused to do their plain duty in respect to allowing the voters an opportunity to act upon the matter at the town meeting.
But all this is not ground for ignoring or nullifying the by-law. It would be a government of men and not of laws, if settled rules for conduct can be trampled upon simply because it becomes difficult to obey them, or because others refuse to do their duty. Laws must be observed scrupulously at all times, and especially by majorities, if orderly administration of affairs is to continue. Moreover, the citizens of Revere who desired to press the further consideration of the repeal of this by-law were not remediless. They still, in September, when it was apparent that the selectmen were not inclined to permit the matter to come before the voters, might have applied to a justice of the peace for the calling of a town meeting for that purpose, on the ground that the selectmen unreasonably refused to call one.
The fact remains that a town meeting was held after the expiration of two months from the passage of the first repealing vote, before the one at which the second repealing vote was passed. Thus, under the provisions of Article XXI, the continuity of town meeting action required for the repeal of the by-law was broken. It follows that the vote to repeal passed at the March town meeting was ineffective and Article III of the by-laws is still in force.
Without considering the other questions involved, the conclusion is that the petition cannot be maintained.
Petition dismissed without costs.


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You probably only know Lorde as the goth girl who wears all black all the time, doesn't brush her hair and sings the mega-hit "Royals". But there's way more to this New Zealand singer than that. The 17-year-old (yes, she really IS 17) just won two Grammys for Best Pop Solo Performance and Song Of The Year. That last one means Lorde isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
She might have reached superstardom, but Lorde still gets what it means to be a teenage girl. She knows Taylor Swift's songs are more annoying than realistic, and she uses social media to go on rants…and confess her love for One Direction. So, you might as well get familiar with the young pop star now while she's the millennial to watch. Click the slideshow to learn more about Lorde and see what she's done in less than 2 decades (hint: it's more than most people accomplish in double that time).
And don't forget to check out: Rachel Zoe cancels her NYFW show, Cameron Diaz's shoe line and Khloe Kardashian's crop top
[Photos: Splash News]

subset: commoncrawl


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Home > EPiCHE > Vol. 2 (2016) > Iss. 1
Pedagogy of Immersion
Welcome to this second volume of EPiCHE, featuring a thematic issue focusing on immersion as a form of engaged pedagogy. While the pedagogy of immersion may have emerged in language education, immersion is now a common practice in community service, service-learning, and what is broadly referred to as community engagement.
Immersions are frequently characterized as intensive educational experiences in a specific setting over a concentrated period of time ranging from one week to a semester or a full academic year in local, domestic, or international settings. As the name implies, the experience is all-encompassing as students (and often their facilitators and faculty) often live in a community setting to gain a sense of place as they learn and work. Despite the pedagogical potential, immersion experiences can also present a number of paradoxical challenges such as perpetuating and exacerbating power and privilege. The authors of this issue's articles provide thoughtful insight to both the power and peril of immersion experiences.
This thematic issue of EPiCHE is unique in two ways. First and foremost, the voices of the authors are not constrained by traditional academic writing. In this issue readers will be introduced to wisdom that comes from scholarly sources, faculty experience, and community leadership. Authors include faculty, mission and ministry professionals and a community activist. This type of writing is what Nash calls "scholarly personal narrative," because it acknowledges the power of personal experience in research to identify, explicate, and advance ideas.
The second unique feature of this edition of EPiCHE is that all of the contributors are from a single institution: the University of San Diego, a Catholic Liberal Arts institution with a long history of community engagement. The contributors to this issue invested over one year collectively and individually reflecting on their lived experiences immersion, emergent theories about immersion, and the pedagogical implications. This University of San Diego reflecting-and-writing collective offers an immersive context for the topic of immersion.
The first article, "Engaged Pedagogy: Reflections from a Barriologist," was written by Rigoberto Reyes, who has been an activist and community organizer for 40 years. The essay offers advice to university faculty and administrators on how best to implement community engagement pedagogy and partnerships that start with community development goals.
In "Reflections on Skipping Stones to Diving Deep: The Process of Immersion as a Practice," Judith Liu, Ph.D. revisits the experience of teaching community engagement courses over the course of 30 years. She shares her personal journey through voluntarism to service-learning to immersion experiences as a critical pedagogical practice.
The third article, "The Spirituality of Immersion: Solidarity, Compassion, and Relationship," was written by Michael Lovette-Colyer. This personal narrative of his experiences presents a theological exploration of the ways immersion experiences revolve around the three dynamics of solidarity, compassion, and relationships.
Kevin Guerrieri and Sandra Sgoutas-Emch's offering, "Immersions in Global Equity and Social Justice," poses a number of provocative questions coupled with a proposed model of change. This model can be incorporated as a lens of examining any project, program, or organization designed to promote positive change. Guerrieri and Sgoutas-Emch provide a theoretical framework that can be adapted and applied to multiple engaged pedagogical contexts, including institutional and organizational spheres beyond the university.
The final article, "Immersive Practices: Dilemmas of Power and privilege in Community Engagement with Students in a Rural South African Village" written by J. Michael Williams and Lisa M. Nunn, explores the paradoxical challenge of power that is manifested in study abroad immersion experiences. Williams and Nunn provide useful strategies that can be used to mitigate the power differential between students and community partners.
We trust you will engage with each of these unique narratives and discover new insights of how immersion experiences can enhance the pedagogy of engagement.
Engaged Pedagogy: Reflections from a Barriologist
Rigoberto Reyes
Reflections on Skipping Stones to Diving Deep: The Process of Immersion as a Practice
Judith Liu Dr
The Spirituality of Immersion: Solidarity, Compassion, Relationship
Michael E. Lovette-Colyer
Immersions in Global Equality and Social Justice: A Model of Change
Kevin Guerrieri and Sandra Sgoutas-Emch
Immersive Practices: Dilemmas of Power and Privilege in Community Engagement with Students in a Rural South African Village
J. Michael Williams and Lisa M. Nunn


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Democrats prepare for tonight's debate
From Yahoo News:
ORANGEBURG, S.C. – Eight Democratic presidential candidates will take part in a 90-minute debate tonight at South Carolina State University.
For their first debate, the White House hopefuls are trying to dampen expectations for themselves so that any bright moments will seem like home runs.
Oh joy!
"I've just got to make sure I don't trip walking on the stage," joked Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, who complained that the candidates get no opening or closing statements and that responses to questions are limited to 60 seconds.
Illinois Sen. Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record) cracked, "It takes me 60 seconds to clear my throat."
Such self-deprecating comments before a debate are common in the Expectations Game. So is anonymous praise.
This will be sort of interesting to see how much attacking of each other there will be. Will Obama call Hillary a witch? Will Hillary point out the fact that Obama has less experience than a toddler?
Stay Tuned.
"NBC Nightly News" anchor Brian Williams was set to moderate the MSNBC debate, which was being hosted by the university and the South Carolina Democratic Party. Special software designed by the network will keep track of how long each candidate gets on the air to ensure equal time.
It's scheduled to be on MSNBC at 7pm Eastern. According to my trusty DirecTV program guide, it will be an hour and a half.
I have yet to discover if there will be a web stream but I don't see one. We'll undoubtedly have some video afterwards for the highlights and lowlights.
MSNBC will also host Republicans on May 3rd.
Afterwards, I will try to post video of the entire debate.


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How to Stay in Front of Your Patients Until They Are Ready to Buy: The Authoritative Guide to Social Media & Drip Marketing for Dentists
Dental marketing expert Colin Receveur to publish his latest book on how dentists can embrace social media and drip marketing to consistently grow their practice, no matter the economy.
The National Sales Executive Association (NSEA) found that it can take up to twelve times of contact or communication before a consumer decides to do business with a particular individual or group.
It is likely that you've done the SEO, created the social networks, added tons of video content to your site, and have articles and blogs frequently updated and submitted to the appropriate directories… now what?
How do you go about touching your prospective four or MORE times?
The process of becoming familiar, and also trusted, is the goal of high quality marketing. You introduce yourself in an official and appealing manner, and if you do well you are more than welcome to "visit" or communicate again. After a while, you are a familiar "friend" whose communications are appreciated, trusted, and respected.
If you keep dripping good information and offers for your dental services in front of prospective patients, you are going to create a relationship based on trust and value. This will result in the "conversion" from prospect to paying patient.
The official press release is here on PRWeb.


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Organizations and Groups
Created in the image of a God who is a community of Father, Son and Spirit, we learn about who we are and how to live through our relationships with other people. Our parish community is a place where we can express our faith, grow in unity with God and others and share in the saving mission of Christ.
Children's Liturgy
- This ministry provides parents of young children the opportunity to attend Mass and special events with the peace of mind that comes from knowing that their children are happy and well cared for.
Coffee & Donuts
- The Fellowship Cafe Ministry serves members of our St. Rita parish by providing refreshments and a place for community fellowship after the Sunday 8:00 AM and 11:00 AM Masses in an atmosphere that encourages the development of new friendships and the solidification of old friendships.
Hispanic Ministry
Hurricane Relief
Knights of Colombus
- The Knights of Columbus is a fraternal organization for Catholic men at least eighteen years old. It was founded in 1882 to provide insurance for the widows of its members. Since then, the organization has grown to almost 2 million men who donate over $177 million and nearly 80 million hours to charitable and church causes. We are now the largest fraternal life insurance organization in the world with a dedication to provide assistance to our members and their families.
- The Knights charitable activities encompass an almost infinite variety of local, national and international projects. Our own unique charities include the Christian Refugee Relief Fund, Disaster Relief, Ultrasound Initiative, and Coats for Kids. We also partner with international charities including Special Olympics, the Global Wheelchair Mission and Habitat for Humanity.
- Through our Building the Domestic Church initiative, Knights and their families have greater opportunities to participate in a variety of activities that deepen their faith, promote the New Evangelization, and strengthen our parishes. These activities include the Family Fully Alive Devotional Program, Father's Day Affirmation of Wedding Vows, Food for Families and the Keep Christ in Christmas Campaign.
Men's Club
Prayer Group
- The Prayer Group provides an opportunity to reach out to others who are suffering or have any spiritual or worldly request or need for prayers.
- When a call for prayer comes in, the Prayer Group is activated and within minutes the prayers begin and are lifted up to God as the members of this ministry immediately intercede for these individuals with prayers for his/her special intention(s) hoping to give them strength in body, courage in spirit and patience in pain.
Prison Ministry
Matthew 25: 39-40
- To make a difference in the lives of inmates by sharing our faith and showing compassion and love as instruments of God's love and forgiveness.
Volunteer Opportunities
- Volunteers meet with a consistent small group and facilitate a Bible Study using the Catholic Serendipity Bible. Volunteers do not seek to be Bible scholars or teachers, but rather facilitate discussions on how the Scriptures apply to everyday life situations.
St. Ann Sewing Group
St. Vincent de Paul
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul invites you to join us in spiritual growth, fellowship and silent works of charity; quietly and discreetly aiding needy families; personal visits to homes, hospitals, institutions; seeking and serving the distressed; and growing spiritually through the gift of self to others.
If you can devote a few hours for works of charity and a monthly meeting, please join us on the third Thursday of each month at 9:30am in the Mary Star of the Sea room at St. Rita parish.
We also meet the first Thursday of each month of regular season, typically at Another Broken Egg in Grand Blvd at 9:30, for fellowship and breakfast.
If you have any questions, please leave a message on our helpline, 888-229-6582.
Women's Society
- The Women's Society of St. Rita's works in conjunction with other parish organizations to create unity and strength by providing for the needs of the Church, it's parishioners and the community by involving themselves in a variety of activities which foster fellowship, spirituality, charitable service and altar care.


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TRANSCRIPT of the post-event press conference organised by the FIA at Rallye Monte-Carlo –
1st – Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team
2nd – Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja, Toyota GAZOO Racing WRT
3rd – Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila, Toyota GAZOO Racing WRT
Malcolm Wilson, Team Principal, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team
Seb, another win on what's been a tough Rallye Monte-Carlo. How's it been for you?
Sébastien Ogier:
Once again it was a huge challenge. We always come here knowing it's going be a difficult week and a tough event to make the good tyre choice. Ott was a difficult contender, but it's also always very good to be here on the podium. Of course, I'm very pleased, this is the best way to start the season. It's good to come back and start the season this way, it's special, but I never struggled so much to be right with the tyres. It was never super-clear with the conditions changing all the time. It's good that we managed to do less mistakes than the others, it was almost impossible to do the perfect weekend and we did mistakes as well. Ours were small mistakes with small consequences and that's how we did this for the fifth time in the row. It feels good.
How tough was Saturday morning?
It was definitely one of the hardest stages of my career to drive in this moment. It was hard to explain how tough, I wasn't complaining but it was not enjoyable to drive. It was about surviving. You come to the finish with a big relief and you're super-happy crossing the line, but you have no idea if you are one minute slower or faster. It was a good surprise to see we took the minute compared to Ott. From then on we had the chance to try and manage the gap, but it was not easy. All the day it was tricky with the tyre to control in those conditions. It would have been super-easy to fall out of position. I'm happy to manage to keep the gap yesterday night. I expected today to be easier, but when we wake up we have news of frost and black ice to deal with on Turini. It was tricky until the end.
What was the plan for the Power Stage?
I couldn't be completely relaxed and not really go for it. I knew with Thierry and Ott that we were fighting for two points. Thierry, Andreas and Craig had the four soft tyres for the Power Stage. I had worn super softs and not the right things to be fast, so I tried to drive clean. The road was clean at the beginning, but then we had some dirty corners at the finish and I couldn't go for it. Every point is important at the moment, so I'm happy with this single point.
What did you think of Malcolm Wilson's performance as Team Principal, was it good?
I had better say yes, I guess! It's always difficult to start the season in Monte-Carlo on the hardest event in terms of organisation, logistics, meteo and co-ordination – all of that is tricky. We had some changes in the team, some new engineers, a new meteo forecaster who is unfortunately from Estonia – that's why we got it wrong sometimes! No, I mean when we know how hard it is, we have to congratulate all of them, they have all tried as hard as they can.
How difficult was your job this week?
Julien Ingrassia:
Each time we're here on the podium – and my rivals say the same – we're here without any breath for one full week. Congratulations to all the co-drivers on doing a very good job, all the guys do the same as me. It's a very difficult position to get the notes and read new notes which are completely different from what you have on the recce. You memorise some of these notes and then they are completely different, I realise sometimes I was just reading and not analysing what I was saying. There were a lot of changes of rhythm, so it's really good when the driver is still trusting you in the car.
It's a great start to the season…
Yes. We know the championship will be hard and Monte-Carlo is special, this is the city of Seb and my region and it reminds me of one year ago. We have to thank those guys, it's one year on and now we have to start again for everything – it's a big motivation.
This is the first event with a new team and you're on the podium – you must be delighted?
Ott Tänak:
Yes. I am very relieved as well. It was a bit of an unknown before the rally, I had no idea where we would be. We'd done quite a bit of testing, but testing doesn't show anything. The rally started quite OK, we lost a bit of time, but then it was improving step-by-step and we were enjoying more and more. When the conditions got tricky I had a good feeling in the car and felt big support from the team, they gave their maximum. It was quite an enjoyable weekend, the conditions were very, very hard, but it's nice to feel the support and the will to fight.
The gap grew in the snow, did you back off?
Unfortunately we had a bit of an issue with the dampers, something broke; that's how it is sometimes. We survived the first loop. After this we were back on the pace and then I'm quite happy. We were playing in Sébastien's backyard here and we were competitive. Let's see what the future brings, but in Sweden it's more like our backyard…
How was your route note crew?
They called me before the Power Stage and he said he wants to talk about this responsibility after the rally, and I can understand that. It was a tough weekend, I'm sure I would not be doing this job myself. We have to say they do a difficult job to predict the weather, when it's raining and snowing. And, knowing what kind of drivers we are, if there's a bit missing we are still kicking them for this. They did a great job. I kind of love them, even if I'm giving them a hard time some times.
Martin, 12 months ago you were on the podium on your first event. What have you learned in the last year?
Martin Järveoja:
Last year I didn't know what to expect, but this year I knew it's going to be a tough one. Ott mentioned he was enjoying this rally sometimes and I was also enjoying sometimes. Sometimes I was a passenger and sometimes Ott was also a passenger in the car and then we both didn't enjoy it so much!
What's the goal for this year? The Championship?
Championship for sure.
It's nice to have some dreams.
Let's see.
Jari-Matti, you talked about getting the monkey off your back with this result, what did you mean?
Jari-Matti Latvala:
The reason is that last time I was on the podium with Miikka was over six months ago in Sardinia. In Australia I was aiming for the podium and you always want a good finish and we finished the season with a S.H.I.T. feeling and then we have to wait two months for the next rally. It's not a nice feeling. Doing a mistake in the fight, that we can accept, but when you are not in the fight then you can't accept the mistake.
Is that now out of your mind?
Yes, now. It was a long time ago. At the end of the Power Stage I didn't even remember how you have to go off to the podium!
Has your new teammate Ott fired you up this year?
It's been a boost for all the team when Ott and Martin joined. They have brought some very good knowledge from M-Sport. I'm very happy with that and we've been able to improve our car, it's a really good feeling in the car. Let's see what we can achieve.
You won Sweden, what's the plan this time?
The men next to me want to win, I'm 100 per cent sure about that – in Sweden my mind is only about driving fast. Here my mind was on the clean run and a good start to the season. But Sweden I really love.
Miikka, how does it feel for you?
Miikka Anttila:
It's good to be back. When we were on the podium I said the Michelin cap has a new design since last summer, but we don't really know because we didn't see it since last summer. It's been good. Like Martin and Julien already explained, it's hard work and one thing that doesn't help is the mobile network and road timing – it would be nice if this could be improved.
Yesterday morning, what was it like on the snow?
Before Christmas we had a really good test on full snow and that helped a lot. Before the stage Esapekka and Jari-Matti were nervous, so I said: "Hey, come on we're from Scandinavia! We're supposed to be comfortable here!"
Malcolm how special is this win?
Malcolm Wilson:
You can't imagine… it's not going to beat last year for sure, but to come here and win the most difficult Monte I've been involved in is special. Normally I make decisions inside my head on what tyres I would use and on a couple of occasions I couldn't have made those decisions. Seb spoke to his gravel crew and I said, what did he say, Seb said: "He didn't know either!" That tells you how difficult it was.
A great start from the team, Elfyn showed consistent pace…
Yeah, it's been a really strong performance. Unfortunately on Thursday night Elfyn clipped a rock and got a puncture, but the good times followed – including a couple of quickest times. It's a shame to lose out today, he found Turini tough and didn't have the confidence and if you don't have the confidence then you pay the price. He's done a very solid job.
Do you think the Championships will be tougher this year?
I don't think, I know. At the moment the competition with the cars and drivers, it's so evenly matched, it's going to be an unbelievable challenge.
Chris Nixon
Latest posts by Chris Nixon (see all)
- TÄNAK SET TO TEST HYUNDAI, OGIER TRIES TOYOTA - December 4, 2019
- TÄNAK ADDS DRIVER OF THE YEAR TO TITLE HAUL - December 2, 2019
- TEAMS' FOND FAREWELLS FOR LATVALA AND EVANS - November 29, 2019


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ECDC and EMCDDA technical guidance on prevention and control of infectious diseases among people who inject drugs
The content of this joint guidance was developed by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) with the support of a technical advisory group composed of policy makers, service providers, civil society representatives and preventative health experts from throughout the EU/EEA.
ECDC and EMCDDA technical guidance on prevention and control of infectious diseases among people who inject drugs - guidance in brief
This evidence-based guidance is designed to inform the development, monitoring and evaluation of national strategies and programmes in countries in Europe in order to reduce and prevent infections among people who inject drugs.
Country mission Estonia: HIV, sexually transmitted infections, and hepatitis B and C
Country mission Romania: HIV, sexually transmitted infections, and hepatitis B and C
Joint technical mission: HIV in Greece
HIV and hepatitis B and C in Latvia
At the request of the Ministry of Health in Riga, a team of experts from ECDC and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction paid a technical visit to Latvia on 2–4 September 2014.
Technical mission: HIV in Cyprus, 15–17 October
The number of new HIV cases diagnosed annually in Cyprus has been on the rise since 2005: more than 50 new cases of HIV were diagnosed every year from 2011 to 2013. This report addresses this issue and provides options on how Cyprus can respond to the epidemic.
Communication strategies for the prevention of HIV, STI and hepatitis among MSM in Europe
This document provides guidance for developing innovative and effective communication strategies to promote a culture of lower risk behaviour in the MSM community in the European Union and European Economic Area.
Behavioural surveillance toolkit
The overall objective of this work is to support the development of a key set of indicators in order to ensure availability of comparable behavioural data and to support Member States to implement behavioural surveillance or surveys by preparing a user-friendly toolkit and framework (protocol) for the implementation of behavioural surveillance and second generation surveillance related to HIV and STI in Europe.
Utilising social media for HIV/STI prevention programmes among young people
A handbook for public health programme managers working on STI/HIV prevention programmes for young people aged 15–24 years in EU/EEA countries.


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I usually do not bake much, I prefer to cook. With this in mind I knew it would be an interesting recipe to try.
First, how the heck do you peel peaches? The hubby said to use a vegetable peeler. What? He bakes? New to me and great suggestion. After they were peeled did I learn the boiling trick. Duh, you do that for tomatoes ::smacking forehead:: Anyway...
I used premade crust. Did not have a tart pan so I used a springpan. Custard was super easy to make, although I found that it took longer than the recommended time to bubble and thicken. I followed the recipe and placed the peaches on top. No torch (would a regular blow torch work 'cause I have them) so I used my broiler. It did not carmelize like I envisioned. Instead it blackened the peaches. I watched that sucker every second too. I also noticed that the juices sat on the top. Once refrigerated it seemed to resolve itself a tad.
Overall, I thought it was an easy, light dessert. I never knew custard was so simple to make. If I were to make to make it again I would most likely place the peaches on the bottom.
PS ~ Pics to come. My computer is being uncooperative tonight.


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Product Description
The Scierra Salmon Tec-Tube is a multi-functional headwear piece that allows anglers to switch and change into a neckerchief, headband and mask and more.
This Tec-Tube is made from a very soft, 100% polyester microfibre fabric that is highly breathable for comfort and will keep your skin dry at all times. The quick drying design makes it easy to wear soon after a trip out on the water and reduces moisture being trapped in the fabric.
The tube is very stretchy for a perfect fit and is seamless for added comfort. You can wear this head wear piece in 14 different ways, including as a headband, a neck warmer, a mask and even on your wrist.
The Scierra Salmon Tec-Tube is decorated with an attractive Salmon pattern throughout and includes a header card with drawings of all wearing possibilities.
Multi-functional head wear
Soft breathable 100% polyester microfibre
Keeps your skin dry and comfortable
Stretchy and seamless
Delivered on a colourful header card with drawings of all wearing possibilities
Additional Information
Additional Information
|Barcode / UPC


text:
Well I have officially decided not to help my sister out any more. I have been trying to be a great older sister and warn her about things I see going on in her life. I been struggling with that for a long time. I try to give her advice and warn her of future problems if she doesnt' at least consider every aspect of what she is doing. I mean if she wants to continue on the path that she is on then that is fine, but at least she would be making an informed decisions.
I love my boyfriend. When I was actually crying he helped me to see that I need to just let her go and not help her any more. I just need to pray for her and let things happen, cause maybe if she falls flat on her face she will see that I was right and may grow up a little. oh well. Now I have to go to work. I don't want to go to work but I think I shall. Ok, I shall try to continue this post later tonight and if not then I shall try to do it tomarrow morning.
My boyfriend is majorly wierd but I love him and the sad thing is that he probably won't call me until about 3 am. Oh well, I guess I shall just sleep when i get home and hope that he will call me.


text:
Rates & Fees
Water Rates (for one month consumption, effective 5/15/18)
First 3,000 gallons $11.53 per 1,000 gallons
Next 7,000 gallons $10.77 per 1,000 gallons
Next 10,000 gallons $8.48 per 1,000 gallons
Excess over 20,000 gallons $6.46 per 1,000 gallons
Minimum charge (based on size of water meter):
A. 5/8" meter $34.59 per month
B. 1" meter $86.48 per month
C. 2" meter $276.72 per month
D. 4″ meter $864.75 per month
Reconnection charge (for resumption of water service):
If water has been turned off due to rule or regulation violations or non-payment of bills, service will not be re-established until the PSD has received payment of a $25.00 reconnection fee and a security deposit of $70.00 (for water only), $54.00 (for sewer only) or $124.00 (water and sewer).
Sewer Rates (for one month consumption, effective (04/01/2017)
Customers on Public Water Supply
Customer Charge $18.85 per month
Commodity Charge $7.31 per 1,000 gallons of metered water
Customers Not on Public Water Supply:
Charge will equal usage of 4,500 gallons per month $51.75 per month
Mineral Wells PSD accepts payment by check, cash or Money Order by mail or drop box at District parking lot.
Make checks payable to: Mineral Wells Public Service District.
Pay also by phone at 1-877-387-1996. Fees apply
Due Dates
Water /Sewer customers will receive their billing statements by the 25th of each month. Those are due upon receipt, and must be paid by the 15th of the following month to avoid a 10% penalty.


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Turtle Logic 2 4+
Alexandre Minard
- $0.99
Turtles are back, and now they can jump!
This time, to go back home, they will have to avoid the bombs and to prevent the ants to steal their path! Drag and drop arrows to build the right path to the exit.
With more than 100 levels, kids will have a real challenge with progressive difficulty levels.
With this simple game, kids will learn the sense of direction, the crossings, the different ways to go to a point.
4 game modes are available:
- In the first one, kids will drag and drop the arrows on the path. Thus, they will associate arrows to the move. Ants are there to add some difficulties too...
- In the second one, kids will drag and drop the arrows to a progress bar near the turtle. Thus, they will have to imagine the path without visualizing it.
- In the third one, it's the same way to play than the first one. But the paths are not defined and so Kids will have to build them. Bombs are there to add difficulties, and ants too...
- In the fourth one, it's the same way to play than the second one. But the paths are not defined and so Kids will have to build them. And there are bombs to avoid...
With 'Turtle Logic 2', kids will improve their logical skills while playing.
May the best turtle win!
'Turtle Logic 2' is part of our educational game collection 'Learning is Fun' by AR Entertainment.
Visit our website to see our portfolio: http://ar-entertainment.net/
- Seller
- Alexandre Minard
- Size
- Category
- Games
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 6.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
- Languages
English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish
- Age Rating
- 4+
- Copyright
- © logical,kid,kids,learning,fun,game,locig,turtle,educational,educative,toddler
- Price
- $0.99
Family Sharing
With Family Sharing set up, up to six family members can use this app.


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Canfield, Richard Albert
Canfield, Richard Albert,1855–1914, American gambler, b. New Bedford, Mass. A well-known gambling operator in Providence, R.I., Canfield went in the 1880s to New York, where his gambling establishment became famous. It was closed in 1904 largely through the efforts of W. T. JeromeJerome, William Travers,
1859–1934, American lawyer, b. New York City. Prominent in the cause of reform, he served (1894–95) on the Lexow commission to investigate political corruption and managed (1894) the successful campaign of William L.
..... Click the link for more information. , district attorney. Canfield was a noted art collector. The solitaire game Canfield was named for him.


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I made this page in March 2009. Now it's
2010 ... 2011 and it seems we're getting a MML3 for the 3DS! ... NOPE. Anyways, below is some MML3 related art.
2011: I missed the DevRoom activities. I did start a few roughs, but my concepts weren't very strong so I decided not to iterate and polish.
Boss design idea: Wet environment -> Squid. First thing which came to mind (for many it seems). The Bonnes already have the Feldynaut and I didn't want to do something which was too close to that. Maybe it doesn't matter though, it's plausible that Tron would just modify her Feldynaut design. I decided to change the head, segment the arms, and color it light purple. Each arm could have some kind of weapon, and the head could pop off like a Wily Saucer.
The Servbots ski around on these... water surface robot bugs, and... bug Megaman.
To avoid backtracking, and add a little Tron-Roll antagonism, I was thinking that the Boss door is found immediately inside the ruin, but Roll tells Megaman that she can't hack it (it has some puzzle lock). So Megaman has to find a way around, fighting reaverbots. When he finally enters the boss room using a secret backdoor, he finds it eerily empty, creating suspense. Suddenly, the main door squeeks and opens a few inches. Voices can be heard outside of the main door. It's Tiesel telling Tron to hurry up with the door. When Tron gets the door open (maybe she cheated), there's some gloating from Tron and jealousy/excuses from Roll. And then there's the boss fight of course, because Tron brought her squid thing.
Reaverbot design idea - I think a good design should have... a thing about it. Vague, I know. It could be a fun and unusual shape. The design should be to the point and not distract with unnecessary greeble and protrusions. It's good if a part of the design fills many functions, creating visual coherence, adding combat functionality, morhpability, etc. It should be consistent with the established style, and fill a necessary function in relation to other designs. When doing enemy design, you also have to think a bit about how the design will communicate with the player. Unfortunately, I had no time to explore and find these qualities. My unusual 'thing' in this case was the revolver shape. The reaverbot would use colors to communicate its attack to the player. I quite liked the concept which won the reaverbot contest. It was efficient.
And a sudden Hair helmet. Not really an attempt at doing something for this project. It just happened.
Other developments: I've written a little (comic) story for my characters above, but it's pretty rough so I'll withhold it. Also, I think I know how to end the game. It's fairly obvious, given the flood/giant ocean thing going on.
White text spoiler: The ocean (flood) subsides. Megaman standing on what was once an island and now is a hill, looking out over surfaced temples. This gives the player an impression of a new era of exploration starting, and that there's more to do. Gotta love de-sunked Atlantises.
April. Zakobon bomber. I don't like enemies who mimic various sports (it breaks fourth wall for me), but I suppose this attack pattern could be more interactive for the player.
It's May 2011. I picked a few reaverbot designs which I didn't like much, and redesigned them. Also, Dangerous Swimsuit? and some more reaverbot redesigns/evolutions.
June. Bright Bats mascot entries (Links now dead afaik): The Elder Cube, Stubbles, Darchron, RoperBot, Gunk, Omega, Metina. Gunk is my favorite out of the bunch, but the Elder bube gets points for being Lovecraftian. In case the links are dead, here's a local page.
2014: Minecraft meets MML? I think this would actually work. Design, Reaverbots (edit 2018), Texture doodle.
2015, July: Red Ash huh? Trying to draw Beck and Call, but derailed and just did random armour guys. I have no well founded opinion on the kickstarter. Style looks a bit different, sleeker, more organic (stronger Yatterman influence). MML was much more focused on chunky primitives (cylinders, cones, spheres). Apparently it has the same Art Director though. We'll see what happens.
Meet the Bakabon! Eeeh? Huh? Not it's totally not a Zakobon flipped upside down.
2017: Refurbished some old concepts from 2000 or earlier. If I remember correctly, I got a scanner and Photoshop 5.5 in 1999, so I scanned many of my older pencil thumbnails and coloured digitally. My old concepts here had blobby and poorly considered volumes and relationships. Reaverbots are rather geometrical. Apparently I also did not understand how the design schemes of the Bonnes differed from the reaverbots'. Further, the ape design is too humanoid. I turned the "tank" design into a more lateral Strandbeest thing as the old concept has shape-clipping issues and is too quadruped anyways. Could see it with even more legs, stomping rhythmically as it turns around, shooting some laser.
Character concepts, borrowing a bit from Time Bokan/Patrol with not-Atasha (アターシャ) there on the right.
I really think the MML setting is best explored through virgin eyes (maybe a rookie digger), like in the first game. MM being stuck on the moon is an interesting thing for people to continue to fantasise about, like the origins of the reaverbots. Less satisfying (and quite possibly detrimental) when solved. Maybe it's just me, but I don't think it would be interesting to have MM return in the intro, then MM shoots some stuff and the reaverbots and ruins are explained as being some MM Zero stuff or whatever.
Instead, I'd have an arrogant OP god-form MM can return from the moon later to deal with nasty boss (maybe a deus ex machina moment?), and then the heroes/heroines have to deal with MM. Whatever divine/super knowledge he had is lost when he returns to normal after being defeated. Roll & Tron could build a new MM, who is obviously a fake. Looks a bit like the pale-faced, mute NES MM. As a prank, it could be assumed that it's the real MM in the intro with R&T, and then it malfunctions. Real MM is still on the moon -_-
This way we don't need to strip MM of his powers yet again at the start of the game. As for R&T, it's plausible that they spent the resources on the failed rockets and their new fighting robot projects to deal with the reaverbots which woke up. Playing as a rookie directorgger is a possibility too. I think I'd like to see a MML3 more focused on the digger community. Perhaps you play a guild and there are other rival guilds.
With a new evil trio (as drawn), there needs to be a Wily/Dokurobei mastermind I guess, perhaps just a voice which remains a mystery. Is it the old woman? The fishy good guy? The obvious criminal? A mayor? A renegade anthro unit? Oh, there needs to be a new spotter too, if Roll is now a digger.
How about instead of enlarging the canvas I just draw smaller and smaller? Mostly NES stuff but I also included Cold Man because it's a neat head design.
The bosses would be built by the heroes or evil trio or other carbons and thus not use the reaverbot style. In the Time Bokan series (and MML), each ep. often has a special enemy big-bot, and smaller minion robots which spill out, so I'm exploring that concept here too.
There's some evidence that MM is just a game in MML, though some sources has tied it to the post-MMZ lore (X5?) iirc, and there's the fact that Juno refers to MegaMan as MegaMan Trigger and itself as MegaMan Juno (RockMan in Japanese version?). Personally I prefer MML to be stand-alone. Anyways, somehow my evil trio (and maybe R&T) uses some kind of fragments of MM (game/comic?) data as inspiration for their boss creations, so I can have fun redesigning
I like how in Galaxy Fraulein Yuna, and... Sailor Moon (is it?), the baddies join the good team once defeated. An interesting take on the weapon mechanic. In C21 online and Pokémon you can bring a few characters and swap in, so that could be an interesting way to break up the monotony and do something different.
Compare to e.g. MMOs like World of Warcraft, where, whilst you may have a dozen characters, they feel very isolated, and not like a team on a trek. For a MML game, some sort of tech concept might be needed to explain the phasing in and out of digger characters & robots though.
Also, there was an accident and an old fighting-spirit grandma is put in the dreadnought... uh, gun volt, probably by Tron. *Eyes light up, steam ejects as it raises its torso up* Robo grandma voice: GUN VOLT O PE RA TIO NAL. ALL SYS TEMS REA DY.
Sloppy concepts for an air ship battle. Sulphur bottom and other civilian ships have been refitted for a combat role. LotGH influence for the Lancer Frigate. Would be neat to see them in dock, being hastily manned before lifting off to meet the enemy.
INTRO IDEA: The game begins with a tutorial/setup for controlling Mega Man. Roll & Tron arguing while shouting tasks over one-another. Once the tasks have been completed, Mega Man malfunctions, because it was just a poor copy made by R&T.
A heated argument follows, from which it can be inferred that MM is still on the moon, and that the reaverbot situation is deteriorating. They feel a need to make some sort of fighting robots to face the danger. Also, the military have appropriated some of Tron's designs (maybe a betrayal by Roll). R&T are only /sort of/ on the same side.
An alarm interrupts. Another reaverbot fleet has appeared (they are "swarming"). Scramble! Some officer lets us know that they (carbons) keep losing ships and resources dealing with these incursions. We see the battle play out. Seems to be going okay at first, but then some very large fortress ships (or titans) appear out of a looming cloud bank and the carbon fleet is destroyed.
Below the battle on an island, civilian ships carrying refugees escape and the main characters have broken off to escort them to safety.
After a journey, looking worn, they arrive on a remote island with an existing hodgepodgey industrial city which grudgingly accepts the refugees. It's clear that fighting the reaverbots head on is a losing proposition on all fronts, as there are already other survivors there. The locals are opportunistic hardened folk and do not much care about organising for the big picture. The new arrivals do not get much help and are left in the urban slums to fend for themselves.
Fortunately, this island may contain the key to fighting the reaverbots or getting MM home. Much talent has now gathered there, and a number of new digger guilds have emerged. R&T start their own guild, and learn how to build better fighting robots or steal those of opposing guilds ("Dorombo Gang", Bright Bats, Birdguy whatshisname). Like in MML1, resources can also be spent on helping to build e.g. housing and unlock favours/talents.
This setup allows me to feature the things I'd like to see, like an airship battle, digger guild struggle/politics. It also explains why they are at a new place starting from scratch on their own. Stylewise, I think the graphics of the original games have held up well, and using a similar style probably an efficient way to produce the number of assets needed. Frankly, it would probably look and run better than something made in e.g. Unity.
Navy soldiers/crew need to appear in masses so I'm employing some common tricks: using generic builds & hiding the eyes and hair.
While drawing these uniforms, The Angel by Alexandre Desplat played on the radio, and I thought something like it might fit for the embarkment scene. The song has a feeling of pressing doom, without being hectic battle music, so the scene can take its time and play out (perhaps with soft fade-cuts). The fleet is of course ill-fated, but does not know it. If the sun is setting this could further push the notion. In deliberate contrast to the song, the crew are yelling, busying and rushing, boot after boot trampling the boarding ramp, but there are no sound effects. The crew's fate is solely driven by the music and their actions ultimately do not matter here.
The cargo finishes loading. One by one the ships lift off. Emotions of suspense as they engage the reaverbot swarm. Cheers as they down a few of the larger ones. Then the black fortresses appear, ships are lost, and they finally know. SFX returns, music stops and we switch to the survivors (e.g. R&T's ship), as the last lancer frigates attempt to buy some time.
For reference, C21 online's "Commando" menu. It's a Japanese MMO game where you build and colour (even re-texture) your own robots. You can bring up to five robots on a mission, but only fight with one, swapping in and out, sort of like in (early) Pokémon, but only once per minute. Because I build specialised robots, there's a RPS/janken thing going on. It's different from say, the A-Trans system from ZX Advent, because it's more like morphing a single character. In C21 you have a garage with robots, and bring five, and if all five are destroyed you game over back to the garage for repairs.
Some old NES MM concepts I'm not sure I've shown. Met is redesigned into an octopus. Perhaps an even smaller octopus pilots it.
Babby Mega Man. I've had this idea for a while which I haven't really seen implemented. A lot of 2D games have expensive&elaborate idle anims, which aren't... connected to the action. I'd rather have a few frames, seeing a pose in context with approaching danger, etc. Maybe the insecure/careful jump frame can be used for tiny/tap jumps?
Mega Man X2 pixel-over. Mostly outline and pillow shading removal. Also matched more closely to the art.
Minimalist Mega Man. Not sure what happened here.
Yatterwan. Slightly related. Yatterman and the Time Bokan Series were Japanese animated cartoon series which probably influenced a lot of people back then (around 1975-1983). Tron Bonne looks a bit like Doronjo and there are robots and gags. I prefer the beetle robot over the dog, as it looked cooler and had sub-vehicles which could detach. Nadia has the best vehicle though. Colour-scheme-wise, I think these cartoons influenced the later Mega Man games' very generous, random use of colours. Oh, the 19994 Final Fantasy movie had airships and some island scenes. One ship in particular looked a bit like the bulbous Gesellschaft, and was captained by a Doronjo-like pirate.
Cactus? I made a mistake assuming this MMX2 boss was a cactus so I changed its busy design. It's a soft sea creature, perhaps?
Note: It's been so long since I played MML and wrote this page. I wonder if the "anthro units" living in the sub-cities in MML1 were the primitive carbons altered by the Master to be more like the original humans. On this page I'm thinking of anthro units as anything human looking built by... the system people to be a part of the system. I'm indeed quite confused by the plot.
NPCs from various sources.
Cleanup of old Bonne mech sketch. A boss based on that yellow golem thing.
Next to Megaman 1, Megaman Legends (aka Rockman Dash) is my favourite Megaman game. However, the atmosphere of the MML series is quite different from that of the other Megaman games. To me, Megaman is more of an archetype which can arise in different universes because of convergent evolution.
If MML is a part of the Megaman timeline (as suggested by a book called 'Rockman Perfect Memories'), the game is supposed to take place long after the X series in the 'Halcyon days'. I'm not sure if there's anything particularly calm and nice about the MML setting though. The Zero and ZX series also has some of the decorative elements which are later seen on the Reaverbots and in the ruins. Still, I'm not comfortable at all with the Reaverbots just being a bunch of robots from the earlier Megaman games.
So, I was a bit disappointed with how the Reaverbots were partly explained in MML2. It lessened their enigma. It's always a great feeling to visit the first dungeon (for the first time) in games. Everything is still a mystery and you can't tell what lies ahead. I think MML1 did a great job at making every dungeon feel mysterious. I don't think I'm alone in preferring MML1. Thinking about it, it might actually make more sense to make an expanded/wider remake of MML1, rather than having to deal with all of the strange plot luggage from MML2.
This page is however mostly an older attempt of mine to 'unexplain' the Reaverbots. Unfortunately, to do that, I need to explain them, but this explanation simply have to make sense, and does not have to be presented clearly to the player. Anyways, here follows the setup which I would use for a MML3, though it might not make sense because I feel like I'm not understanding the plot right.
tl;dr; The Ancients were colonists who simply found the Reaverbots on some planet. Who knows what made them?
Many thousands of years ago a group of human colonists found (or rediscovered) the planet Terra. They had orders to terraform the rather hostile planet, so they brought 'carbon re-initialization' devices. These would basically purge the life on the planet and replace it with friendly life forms brought with the colony ship (similar to an ark).
However, as it turns out, the planet was inhabited by something else - the Reaverbots. Since they weren't organic they were left unaffected by the purge. The colonists (later known as the Ancients) discovered that the Reaverbots were rather sophisticated creations with a life of their own. The colonists also discovered a underground ruins and an advanced communication Network. It almost seemed like something was sporadically controlling the Reaverbots through the use of the Network.
Some archeologists had seen ghost like creatures move about in the deeper ruins. These were nicknamed the Elders, and a theory was proposed that these were technologically advanced aliens who had built the Reaverbots. Other clues pointed towards a single powerful and sinister entity being in control (refered to as The Entity or The Dark Singularity). There was even a theory that no one was in control but the Reaverbot had a collective id which used the Network.
(By offering several theories, I hope that the Reaverbots can remain undefined and enigmatic. The player can choose his own theory.)
At any rate, the Reaverbots were not friendly to the colonists. They were an obstacle to the colonization plans, and had to be either destroyed or neutralized. To destroy them seemed impossible, because the Reaverbot ruins are vast and only a fraction had been explored. The solution came when the Central Node was discovered. The Reaverbots used it to gain coherence and possibly to receive orders. The colonists simply appended a lock out device at this point. This made the Reaverbots incoherent or dormant.
The Reaverbots were never fully understood, but the colonists constructed several research facilities (known as Sub-Cities). Here they reverse engineered the Reaverbot technology, and constructed the androids (aka Prototype Anthro Units).
It appeared like the lock-out wasn't 100% effective, because groups of Reaverbots would intermittently become organized and aggressive. This also included Androids constructed by the colonists since these units used the Reaverbot Network. Powerful combat units called Purifiers were constructed to deal with these situations. Eventually the colonists constructed their own Network up in space and on the moon. Though tied into the Reaverbot Network on the planet, it was believed to be sufficiently filtered and secure.
The colonists enjoyed a high quality of life for many years. Eventually they became so advanced that they could fully digitize themselves and live inside the network which they had constructed on the moon (Elysium). The colonists had put their genetic code in The Library before transcending, perhaps because they were sentimental. If the whole transcendence thing went awry, they (as a race) could at least go back a step and recolonize the planet (after making space, i.e. purging it).
To make sure that their System wasn't threatened by Reaverbots or other forms of physical life, they devised a number of automatic processes which would deal with these contingencies. One of these process was the control of organic life on Terra. A colonist known as the Master and a group of android servants remained in physical form as a fail safe.
The Master was an immortal human who watched over the System for thousands of years. Eventually he realizes that he's not having much fun at all. Since he was not fully digitized, he was outside of the technological singularity (heaven) and could not fully comprehend it. He pondered about happiness much, and eventually started to experiment. First he made the carbons (organic, but artificial life forms) and put them on the planet surface. Apparently they did not meet his approval, so he purged them.
Then he released a modified version based on the idea that happiness requires fluctuations or it will normalize. He spends much time monitoring these carbons. However, he was responsible for managing Elysium, and the safety of the System always took precedence. He was restricted by the protocols of the System and was eventually sad to see the carbons being continuously being wiped for population control reasons.
In the end the Master gambles that the carbons are actually more meaningful than than the transcended [former colonists] in the singularity (whose existence may very well be meaningless in it's pure simplicity). Having developed sympathy for the carbons, he does not wish to see them purged anymore. An android, Sera, was more strict about enforcing the rules of the System and opposed the Master. Trigger (Purifier android favored by the Master) is told to destroy the System so the carbons can have a chance. The Master, knowing that Sera still respects him, entrusts Trigger with his genetic code (hoping that Sera would not dare to touch Trigger).
The Master dies while living with the carbons. Perhaps he modified his own genetic code so he could finally die, or he was just vulnerable outside of the System. Sera and Trigger end up duking out on the planet surface, knocking each other out. Another android, Yuna, is really undecided regarding the fate of the System and the carbons. She decides to put the damaged Trigger and Sera in stasis on the Forbidden Island. To prevent interference from carbons, she creates a vortex around the island and patrols it to ward trespassers away. She knows that if Sera is released, she will purge the carbons. At least 30 years go by, probably hundreds, perhaps thousands. Not understanding Trigger's behaviour, she may have wiped his memory (but did not know that Trigger had created Data to store his memories in). This way both the System and the carbons could exist. The carbons would still have to live under the constant threat of annihilation though, as the System is still up and running.
Eventually Barrel and Blücher visits the island and sees Yuna. Then Matilda visits the island, is hurt, and Yuna accidentally if forced to take over Matilda's body in an attempt to save her.
However, with the System running unmonitored (Sera not monitoring Elysium, and Yuna not being in the ideal body to monitor Terra), more and more Reaverbots become aberrant due to the lack of Purgers. The Master did not foresee that the Reaverbots would so effectively be able to bypass whatever safeties the colonists had put in place.
In the end, Trigger and Sera are defrosted. Sera, hoping to destroy the carbons who threaten the System with their mere existence, indirectly acquires the keys needed for a planet-wide purge (she tricks the diggers to go an look for them). Destroying the carbons would negate Trigger's reason to obey the Master's last wish; to destroy the System. However, Sera is hesitant since she partly respects the Masters wish. In the end, Trigger defeats her and destroys the System.
Unexpectedly, the Central Node also stops to function, and the rest of the Reaverbots wake up. Trigger is stranded on the moon along with Sera and Yuna. On the planet surface, the carbons are facing a Reaverbot invasion.
While I feel that the Reaverbots should remain unexplained, it's good to have a structure of logic to support the mystery. I think the most appealing theory is that the Reaverbots are actually somewhat in control of themselves. Enough to make a doll (found in MML1), anyways.
The Elders were a species who perished some 14 000 years ago. They built or found the Reaverbots on their journeys. The Elders built a Network which the Reaverbots were connected to. Eventually a Reaverbot id developed and the Reaverbots ended up enslaving their masters (Terminator plot swipe). In a way, the Reaverbots also are enslaved by their own terrible id (Forbidden Planet plot swipe).
On top of that, perhaps the Reaverbots caused a flood and mass extinction 14 000 years ago, but I'm not sure why they'd flood their own stuff. Massive floods don't make much sense, but if the planet came out of an ice age, the water level could have risen some 100 meters over a thousand years, perhaps.
A lot of the art below is still just pencil thumbnails. Designs can change around quite a bit when they receive more definition. Sometimes what works as a thumbnail is difficult to make work when you have to make proper shapes (like cylinders and other Reaverbot components). It's a good idea to keep things rough when trying out things. Polishing too much can 'lock' a design so you don't dare to experiment on new solutions.
One thing which I want to do eventually is to create some structure with Reaverbots being fit for certain roles, and also make several light/heavy version of some Reaverbot types. I want to stay away from human looking bodies and keep them more alien and odd (except for the very human looking 'anthro' units). So, no Balrog demon shapes for the monster Reaverbots.
I'm not a fan of scaled and re-colored versions of the same design. It's understandable why they did it in older games, but nowadays we don't have the same restrictions on hardware. I think Light-Medium-Heavy versions makes the setting more coherent with the designs reinforcing each other. Another thing which can liven up things is to make some characters able to perform different tasks, like operate vehicles, read panels, stand and ponder, etc. The Servebots do this, but also the Zakobon in the first ruin of MML1 (pop out of walls, zoom past, etc). I made the Zakobon Dispenser based on that idea.
The Ruins could use some furniture too. Instead of crates, various mysterious thingamajibs could be spice things up.
Although MML1 was a smaller game than MML2, it had a higher content density. All the missions and errands were on the same island and you really got to know the people in the city. The community was more alive with bank robberies, sieges, a destructible town, hospitals, museums, etc. The Ruins were also connected, giving a coherent feel. MML2 had similar, and perhaps more content, but it was scattered around on different islands. The missions felt more like... well, just missions, perhaps because you knew you wouldn't be coming back. Because of this, none of the locations really came alive.
So, for this project I choose a setting consisting of a single island. I like the idea of a walled city as a center hub. Both MML games had some interesting siege missions, and a walled city (and turrets, don't forget the turrets) works well for that. The city could be under siege both by Pirates and Reaverbots.
I wouldn't mind if many of the less plot critical dungeons were random generated. The MML concept lends itself well to the idea of going on digs, returning with the loot. I remember many of the characters in MML1 talking about going on digs, but not daring to, or messing up.
On the moon, Elysium, Trigger is reviewing his memory files (thus explaining the story to the player). Then Yuna or Sera gives Trigger a combat tutorial. Perhaps something has invaded Elysium's Network and the Reaverbots up there has gone mad. This is an early indicator that the same thing is happening on Terra.
With the Reaverbots on Terra becoming increasingly nasty, many of the islanders had to flee via air-ships to Reaverland, a large island with a great walled capital city. Something on the island has killed off a large amount of Reaverbots, which now lay on the grassy fields partially overgrown. It seems like a safe place, or at least safer than the other islands. Many characters from the Legends games have gathered here. The city should be placed at a juncture of different environments, providing the player with many different quick options. I'm partial to green, neutral nature environment as a starting point, because they're usually the richest and the most normal. I don't like starting in snow environments, and underwater stuff is terrible!
Overgrown Reaverbot remains creates a feeling of history and mystery. There's also an emotional aspect to looking at their eyes, not quite knowing whether they're dead or not.
On this island, some Reaverbots are actually friendly, such as King Zakobon. Perhaps there's something odd on the island which has caused a Reaverbot 'civil war' of some sort.
Eventually Roll/Tron manages to send a shuttle to Elysium where Trigger is. Upon reentry, it crashes. Ships always crash in MML. It could be a good way to destroy all of Trigger's equipment, if need be. Roll probably sold off Trigger's stuff to pay for the shuttle too!
The game could revolve around Trigger collecting parts of his super duper Purifier body (something along the lines of what Juno or Sera had). It's the only way to stand a chance against the Elders / Entity / Reaverbot id. Even the regular Reaverbots in the Deep Ruins are really powerful.
Alternatively, you could play as one character out of a group. This would require the NPCs to use the group's name in conversations, and text have to be used rather than voice (since the player character could be anyone (or anything)).
Loose ends: Roll is reunited with her parents, as it's pretty unavoidable. Trigger / Data can't regain all of the memories, or it would explain too much. Von Bleucher must have spent a lot of his fortune on the 'bring Trigger home' project, as well as migrating the people to Reaverland (using the Sulphur bottom, which now makes up a part of the city?). Are the Bonnes still evil? Are Sera, Yuna and Matilda back into their own bodies?
I'll try to sort the Reaverbots into geographical location. Some Reaverbots could be at several locations (like the generic little Zakobons), but I don't like when everyone's everywhere. For example, the Mammoths in MML2 seems out of place in Ruins.
The overworld Reaverbots seemed a bit out of place in MML2, but I think that mostly went for the ones which were normally underground. I don't mind the Zakobon being everywhere, it strikes me as a bit of an all purpose trooper. The Juraid (horse-ish runner) worked too, because it made use of the large open areas in its movements. The Jakko (dragon fly) seemed like something we'd see in forests. The Fingerii didn't work too well, especially not with its corridor blocking bubble being pointless.
On Kattelox there's a bunch of unearthed ruins. I'd like to think that the first floor on some ruins are eroded and in the open. Perhaps some Reaverbots like to hang around in these places.
In my story the Elder's System have become activated again, so the Reaverbot behaviour will be different from that in MML1&2. They become more agressive, coming out of the ruins and attacking the cities. On the other hand there's something special about Reaverland. There are rogue Reaverbots aren't apart of any 'System'. There are large dead Reaverbots are littered overground (like dinosaur bones or WW2 tank wrecks), suggesting that something went down long ago.
I definitely don't want to see too many Reaverbots strolling about overground. Restricting them to plot events and special locations seems more faithful to their character. If I did use them overground in conjunction with the old dead Reaverbots, then I'd ruin the feeling of desolation. I have to be clear in separating the old-dead with the new. This can be done by not using any overground Reaverbots for the early part of the game, then changing their behavior later on with story elements.
The fortified city on Reaveland was found largely uninhabited by the immigrants of the other islands. Now it's a cauldron of different people and cultures. This setup is useful for making the city feel like it's being upgraded and worked on (much thanks to the player's donations). It also allows the ruins on the island to be left somewhat unexplored. Since there are a lot of hovercrafts, perhaps the player-path obstacles should be kept in the ruins. The over-world could have difficult Reaverbots roaming about though, perhaps even flying ones, making it a bad idea to run off into the wilderness early on.
In MML1 the city really came alive because of all the infrastructure. I'm thinking that the police, military and civilians have formed a kind of militia to respond to pirates and Reaverbot sieges. Diggers could roam the more superficial ruins, with their vehicle and spotter waiting at the entrance. It could just be a random selection of vehicles and NPCs. They don't need to do anything sensible aside from roaming the first floor, looking like they're chatting, examining the walls and shooting stuff. The first floor of NPC inhabited ruins could have a very simple AI friendly layout and simple Reaverbots. Just having the element in there will make the game universe seem like it's much more alive. Some of the ruins tied to plot could have special plot NPCs and scripted events.
These designs are based on the barrel bots from the Misadventures of Tron Bonne, and a... what I assume is a junked alternative concept of the bathing boss. Undead theme for the ruins. I'm trying to include human figures for scale.
Given my interpretation of the plot, it would make sense to put some aberrant prototype anthro units here. Perhaps they sneak around among the buildings, sniping the player. I'm not sure about their design yet. the earlier versions were probably more clunky, and the later ones more organic. The final versions looked fully human.
I'm using Sera's ears here (from her first boss form). Sera, Gatz, Trigger and the bunch would all be refined anthro units. This makes them part Reaverbot. They can use the Elysium Network to back up themselves or move into new bodies. Trigger backed up parts of himself in Data though, perhaps because he didn't want to use Elysium's Network when not being on best terms with Sera (in charge of Elysium).
The Deep cities is where the Reaverbots have most of their infrastructure. I'm thinking of using black for most of the stuff here, except for a few administrative units. The tripod scout is inspired by Clarke's Rama. They scurry around and investigate things, but does not seem to have any function beyond that. The mobile factories are like giant walking monoliths stretching into the dark 'starry sky'. They have two arms at the front which they use to... deliver their babies. They're somewhat alike the walking train in MML1 (a large legged boxy factory), but I wanted some Rama and 2001 epic hue.
Just thumbnails, but in color! I've started to categorize Reaverbots from MML and 2 here. I'm giving them one eye where possible. Two eyes is too 'anthro'. I did my usual gorilla take on the Hanmuru doll, but maybe it's too anthro and 'cool' (when it should be strange). Snow bunny got snow shoes.
I just had to do this. I wanted the Yellow Devil to be able to break up into parts while still being a mech, so I added a skeleton inside. Spiky bits would stick out of the blobs (to make them more similar to the original sprite). I tried to stay pretty close to the sprites overall, but had to include the skull emblem of course. Propellers are a problem since nearly everything in the MML universe is hover tech. The propeller at the bottom of the 'platform head' could serve as a chopping blade though.
The Servebots could dress up as Sniper Joe and even some of the bosses. Maybe the Servebots are renegades and not under Tron's control. This explains the departure from the usual Bonne machine style. A little coup by #41 perhaps. Or, the Bonnes are kidnapped and #41 forms a crack squad of Servebots (they convert themselves into 'fighting robots').
Elecbot gave me some trouble. I wanted to avoid Dame Edna glasses, and I made the forehead lightning bolt point forward to avoid asymmetry. I felt it got a bit too tight there with the lightning bolt laying flat against the forehead. Overall, a spiky theme for this fellow, it gives an electrical feel.
Alternative idea: Put the Megaman 1 enemies and bosses on the Reaverbot side (as aberrant units constructed in the Sub-Cities).
Maintenance Reaverbots (such as cleaners) and Reaverbots which are not looking very figurative might be found at multiple sites. Did some redesigning on the Fingerii. Heavy version of the worms, with a spiky flailing end.
Ideas. Yeah, that's some Dalek experiments there. In one case I used two arms and two legs, so I decided to use a setup similar to the Fingerii (a center crystal) for the body-head to weird things up a bit.
I'm not a fan of linear games, but at the same time, MML had a very nice plot. I think the approach used by Star Control with independent story segments and quests is a reasonable compromise. Anyways, This section needs to be elaborated on. In the meantime, here's a list of mission types:
Should Trigger start out with a large assortment of weapons retained from his earlier endeavors? I think it's possible to milk some more fun out of a gradual improvement of performance. If the player has invested effort into an upgrade, it will be more fun to use. For example, if a weapon had ten power levels but was free to upgrade it wouldn't be very fun to feel the power level go up as you upgrade.
However, it feels artificial to just strip Trigger of his weapons, and it's also dull to run around with just a buster going pew pew pew. I think it's a good idea to have several early options, but not enough to overwhelm the player with options. With the weapons being gradually more expensive to upgrade, the player could be given an interesting early 'apples or oranges' choice. With a more linear presentation of new weapons, the player wouldn't have this early choice.
In most Megaman game you can just swap between the special weapons at will, but in Megaman Legends you have to go back and visit Roll for a weapon swap. I don't think this is necessarily bad, because it gives the player the interesting tactical choice of what to bring along. If the player had all weapons at his disposal, the game becomes a bit less plausible. Where is he storing the weapons? If a weapon needs time to reload, why can't he just cycle through all the weapons and fire them in sequence, thus bypassing the reload times? I think I prefer the existing model, maybe even applying it to the buster parts. I didn't really change the buster configuration in the middle of the action anyways.
To compensate, both of his weapons (left and right arm) could have an alternate fire mode. This would give the player four attack to choose from. It would increase the amount of choice the player has during battle, and allow for interesting combos. For example:
This would give the player a lot of adaptability in combat. Here are ideas for a few of the weapons:
Buster Cannon. Similar to the one in MML2, but with even slower reload and more strength to give it a more distinct oomph. To further reinforce the feeling of power, the weapon could require lockdown of the character, pushing it back, and also pushing back whatever gets hit. This weapon has a feeling of power and delay, so a secondary along the line of the Jango Fett's seismic charges (Star Wars ep.2) would be suitable. Perhaps the weapon charges up, there's a pause, the character stabs it into the ground and it causes a radial shock wave along the ground plane.
Booster. This gadget is not a weapon, instead it increases the performance of the other weapon (perhaps just the energy recharge). The drawback is that it occupies an arm and thus makes the character less diverse in terms of firepower.
The Buster should probably be the most diverse weapon, allowing a great deal of customization and having interesting secondary fire modes. Some purely aesthetic choices could make it fun to tinker with as well.
Treasures shouldn't be trivial items, like a flowerpot or a stick. Nor should they be parts of Reaverbots, because then the player will wonder why he can't just get the item off any Reaverbot. Of course, the Reaverbots could actually explode into parts (gibs), but then the player might feel like the Reaverbots would be worth more intact, and wonder why he can't capture them. If the Reaverbots can be captured and are worth more that way, then the shooting element of the game will suffer. I think that Reaverbot parts becoming refractors is an acceptable abstraction. Given the amount of Reaverbots destroyed by the player, lugging parts to the store to sell would become a chore. Another problem with the gibs being Reaverbot parts is that if they are removed (to prevent the map from filling up with them), then immersion suffers because it isn't realistic for mechanical parts to just fade away into nothingness. Refractors are more exotic, so they could 'evaporate' or something.
Treasures found in treasure chests should be something special. Perhaps a mysterious artifact can be reverse engineered by a skilled mechanic or scientist (for a cost). Then a blueprint for a weapon can be made and manufactured in several copies. This would be different from the system in MML1 and 2 where the treasures are seemingly built into the weapon. The treasures needs to be something else than Zenny, something money can't buy. Otherwise the player could just grind at the same spot and get everything from the stores. The stores would of course sell many things not found as treasures, and perhaps they might start selling weapons which the player has helped to discover. This could trigger plot elements with an NPC digger appearing at a new location with the new gear, or the militia getting new gear.
2018 thoughts: It's a bit strange how so many crystals, some very large, can appear from some corpses, though it's perhaps more satisfying to pick up a bunch of them. I could imagine that if only a single one appeared out of larger enemies as they go poof, it would feel... empty. Moving back to the idea of scraps appearing along with the refractor, I can see several advantages. The single refractor appearing, would appear more valuable in the debris, and push the idea that these things are also valuable power cores. The debris/scraps/junk could perhaps it could be made interesting:
First, junk pickups could be abstracted into a single pool like the Zenny (i.e. junk: 715), this to avoid the problem of junk sorting. Then it could be sold for random Zenny (a dice roll for each 100 units sold... which likely gives a sort of average value though). OR, the junk could be refined/sifted by Roll, who discards the actual junk (zero value) but sometimes identifies/makes useful parts/ingredients. This method is more of a gamble as refining 1000 units could give nothing. I guess useful parts rarely survive, if reaverbot eyes are "Grade A national treasures" as in MML1. Larger junk bits (might be needed for larger reaverbots) could be worth more "Junk", like 10. Guess junk would have to go into a "bag of holding", like the zenny.
It could make sense to have some floor lights (the reaverbots are lit from below remember?), or other dungeon components which flash when the drops disappear, suggesting that the drops are actually absorbed by some self-cleaning system. If the explosions feel a bit barren, some of the debris could be so hot that it burns up right away, leaving only the refractor and a few bits of junk. I know that too busy explosions can be distracting. The advantage with the original explosions is that they are clean, with just the fire ball and refractors.
One way to add replayability could be to let the player choose his own character. To make a story work, it would have to be designed around the player's faction with the NPCs addressing the characteristics of the player's faction rather than the characteristics of a particular character.
This could be a way to integrate difficulty levels into the game in a natural way. Some player like to play through games with self imposed restrictions, like not using certain items. I think this is a better way of making a game difficult than increasing the enemy stats and change the world. I find it more immersive if the game world is static. So, certain character types could have weaker stats and would not be able to use certain items.
If the player chooses to play as an Anthro unit (not the current carbons, or megaman), there's a special intro. The Bureaucratic unit of the island, Megaman Lethe, is attacked by a powerful Reaverbot. Lethe, being unable to contact Eden (which was shut down by Trigger) releases a group of Anthro units which were held in a repository. It gives them Purifier status. One of these units is the player, the rest become NPCs. The Reaverbot kills and deletes Lethe (who have no place to back up with Eden being 404). Perhaps it managed to transfer into one of the Anthro units though, but only reveals this in the end.
This setup is necessary to explain what happens to the Bureaucratic unit which was watching over the island, as well as making clear that the Master's System is overpowered by the Elder's System.
So, I have: