Hive Sabotage

[diegocfq]

Hey just a bit of a feedback on Hive Sabotage, It's not that i don't like the mission itself, the core idea of it is pretty cool, specially during the event, but there are some issues:

1. Map is huge and extremely convoluted in some parts even while using a fast frame built for speed™ and knowing the layout
2. 18 objectives ((1 Hive + 5 Tumors) * 3) plus the 3 caches is too much (It was fine for the event, but it's not for regular play)
3. Reward tables are kinda annoying, there is no need for 2+ entries for: Endo, Credits and Neurodes
4. Overall the mission itself takes a lot of time as not everyone has memorized the layouts and possible cache locations (and honestly what kind of design hinges on people memorizing layouts or take 1h to finish a map looking for 3 caches?)
5. Loot Radar doesn't help if you don't already know the layouts and rooms as there are a crapload of containers in this mission.
6. When playing with new players, veteran players are conditioned to "do everything" (not their fault)  because if they don't do this way, mission will take longer and maybe involve backtracking.
7. I don't think most of the playerbase plays it or even likes it for the previous issues.

Some suggestions to make things less annoying and maybe a bit more interesting:

1. Make the number of Tumors needed to kill each Hive less than 5 (say 3), also choose 3 of the 15 tumors to actually be the caches, rewarding the player when all of them are destroyed.
2. After each Hive is destroyed, spawn an infested corpus mini-boss in a random room, and that room now contains a cache.
3. Make Loot Radar Cache Icon different than other icons.
4. Transfer the mods to a mission rewards table independent of the caches at a low percentage tied to number of Hives or Tumors killed, but make it so the more caches you find, the higher the probability of finding mods, so players can target farm either the resources or the mods (finding all, some or none of the caches).
5. Do away with hacking consoles in the map, players already have to find Tumors, Caches while fighting an increasing number of Infested, maybe a Juggernault and Stalker/Syndicates, having to hack in this mission.

 

Thanks in advance if you do read this and consider changing any aspect even if not anything I suggested.

[Oreades]

Have you heard about our lord and savior Equinox? 

[diegocfq]

21 minutes ago, Oreades said:

Have you heard about our lord and savior Equinox? 

Yes, but I don't think I'll bother farming Equinox for something that is not a problem for me (mobs/tumors/hives) also, Equinox existing doesn't make the things he is good for less a problem.

I put the main problems with the mission for a wide spectrum of players, but honestly what I have problem with is finding the caches in acceptable time.

[Oreades]

51 minutes ago, diegocfq said:

Yes, but I don't think I'll bother farming Equinox for something that is not a problem for me (mobs/tumors/hives) 

Well if it's not a problem..... then..... why are we here? 

Tumors aren't hard to find even without knowing the layout, just pop on a scanner and check for them through the environment. Protip you can see them through walls. That's what I used to do before I had the epiphany that .... Maim breaks errythin' why am I looking for these?

Last time I checked there wasn't anything worthwhile in the caches (at least nothing with a sane drop rate) so really not a point in taking the time to find them.

aaaaaand that only leaves the level design being a visual cluster hecc but given the number of tilesets that look like the design team just vomited assets on them (Infested Corpus, derelicts and Crashed Corpus) I rather think that's the aesthetic they where going for so I don't think that's changing any time soon™

Edited January 20, 2020 by Oreades

[diegocfq]

16 minutes ago, Oreades said:

Well if it's not a problem..... then..... why are we here? 

Tumors aren't hard to find even without knowing the layout, just pop on a scanner and check for them through the environment. Protip you can see them through walls. That's what I used to do before I had the epiphany that .... Maim breaks errythin' why am I looking for these?

Last time I checked there wasn't anything worthwhile in the caches (at least nothing with a sane drop rate) so really not a point in taking the time to find them.

aaaaaand that only leaves the level design being a visual cluster hecc but given the number of tilesets that look like the design team just vomited assets on them (Infested Corpus, derelicts and Crashed Corpus) I rather think that's the aesthetic they where going for so I don't think that's changing any time soon™

We are here because this is a feedback forum, and this is a feedback post.
You are focusing too much on problems you imagine I have. I use Limbo, with scanner/enemy radar, breaking things is not a problem for me (Still takes too long), but boy oh boy, it's painful watching people playing this mission for the first time.

There are things worthwile at 3 caches. And the level design itself is not something I have a problem with.

The first 7 points I made are still problems even though I can bypass most of them.
The important take away is: If it's not a problem for me doesn't mean it's not a problem.