The Index - Specters not turning in points

[(PSN)magusat999]

Scope of this post, before you reply:

So - as you can gather, this is about SOLO PLAY, with Spectors. I KNOW we can play with other players and that will fix this. I am posting this specifically to address playing with Spectors, and do not need discussion on alternate ways to play. If Spectors are now behaving like this, it may need to be addressed (by DE) - workarounds like playing with others instead do not address this concern. So lets please keep the conversation and solutions within the parameters of playing solo with Spectors and the Spector issue (possibility) - thanks!

Post specific content:

I usually have no issues at the Index, have a couple of frames that I can go there with and do what needs to be done and get out. Its been a few months since Ive been there, but unless this is just a bug, there's something very disheartening going on now.

Spectors are not turning in points. They are hanging around me (my Warframe). In the past, I would go in as say, Mesa, and protect from Anyo getting points (especially as today, its a Nightwave mission) and Spectors would pick up and turn in points - rarely would I have to leave the Anyo side, being a defender, killer and point stopper. But now - as much points as I make drop from kills, the Spectors might pick them up - but they do nothing with them! They keep them until the enemy takes them, and then I kill the enemy and they repeat the pointless process! The only way to get points now -  seems to for ME to turn them in! I played a couple of times, the first time I noticed not one point. Second time, I had to turn in points and I was the only one! BUT - I lost the NW mission, because as I was turning in points - so was Anyo! I win the mission, but fail NW!  Which mean the whole "Protect from Anyo getting points technique is out the window".
 

[Drasiel]

Hmm. That seems like an odd behaviour but even when playing with groups that weren't full I've seen friendly spectres wandering around with a lot of points, I haven't been paying attention to what they do with them though. I'm going to try to replicate this with my no-enemy-score Atlas build when I have a spare moment but since you mentioned mesa are you walking around at all while you are defending? I'm wondering if you are standing still and that's triggering an anti-afk behaviour where the spectres stop depositing points. Just killing things isn't enough to prevent the anti-afk behaviour from triggering.

[(PSN)magusat999]

Just now, Drasiel said:

Hmm. That seems like an odd behaviour but even when playing with groups that weren't full I've seen friendly spectres wandering around with a lot of points, I haven't been paying attention to what they do with them though. I'm going to try to replicate this with my no-enemy-score Atlas build when I have a spare moment but since you mentioned mesa are you walking around at all while you are defending? I'm wondering if you are standing still and that's triggering an anti-afk behaviour where the spectres stop depositing points. Just killing things isn't enough to prevent the anti-afk behaviour from triggering.

Well, I have to move around to get aim at certain enemies, and also run and get energy and return. There is always some movement. Also, this wasnt an issue a few months ago. Just noticed it today. Spectors just staying on one side, not even trying to cash in points.

[Drasiel]

Okay finally had a chance to get back to this. I tested all 3 levels of the index levels and both maps. I walled off my goal with tectonics and watched what the spectres did while killing any enemies that wandered into our goal area with either melee or my cedo. It was quite common for the spectres to die mid way to the goal and they definitely prioritise attacking enemies rather than banking their collected points, resulting in a lot of deaths, more so on the indoor map due to it's larger size. They do however, still bank the points, so there is some secret sauce here that is causing the errant behaviour you are seeing.

My suspicion is still the anti afk timer but I wonder if rather than movement it might be tied to financial stress or something, I always accidentally picked up at least one point. When you play do you pick up any points?

[(PSN)magusat999]

4 hours ago, Drasiel said:

Okay finally had a chance to get back to this. I tested all 3 levels of the index levels and both maps. I walled off my goal with tectonics and watched what the spectres did while killing any enemies that wandered into our goal area with either melee or my cedo. It was quite common for the spectres to die mid way to the goal and they definitely prioritise attacking enemies rather than banking their collected points, resulting in a lot of deaths, more so on the indoor map due to it's larger size. They do however, still bank the points, so there is some secret sauce here that is causing the errant behaviour you are seeing.

My suspicion is still the anti afk timer but I wonder if rather than movement it might be tied to financial stress or something, I always accidentally picked up at least one point. When you play do you pick up any points?

Through my several run-throughs, I picked up points one time (in one game) the other times I didn't (on purpose). On other occasions I have played, it didn't matter if I picked up or not, the Spectors would at some point turn in points. 

[Drasiel]

16 hours ago, (PSN)magusat999 said:

Through my several run-throughs, I picked up points one time (in one game) the other times I didn't (on purpose). On other occasions I have played, it didn't matter if I picked up or not, the Spectors would at some point turn in points. 

all right, then that's definitely not it. Hmm and it's not going to be a difference in our versions of the game either since consoles are synced with PC now due to crossplay. I guess I could check to see if the afk timer is weirdly short in the index or give it a try with Mesa to see if maybe it's frame specific.

There is some sort of secret sauce here and it can be hard to pin that down, something you do that seems completely normal and inconsequential could be the cause of the whole issue. For example, something I encountered in railjack was if you disabled a crewship using blackout pulse your crew would fly away from it because they no longer recognised it as an enemy, if you didn't use blackout pulse they would aim towards the crewship like they were supposed to.

[Drasiel]

well for the afk timer with my atlas it takes about 1 minute for the first spectre to stop picking up points, stop moving, or stop scoring when I don't move. So it's not super short.

[Mainabi]

the wukong will never turn in any points, the other should actually turn in, last time I solod was last week

[Zakkhar]

On 2023-09-26 at 4:52 PM, (PSN)magusat999 said:

BUT - I lost the NW mission, because as I was turning in points - so was Anyo! I win the mission, but fail NW!  Which mean the whole "Protect from Anyo getting points technique is out the window".
 

Have nothing to do with issue cause Anyo forces are not Warframe specters, but have you tried, dunno maybe defend the point where Anyo needs to turn the points to score? Khora, Limbo, Gara even Frost or Octavia should be able to barricade the area to the point no points can be scored.

Edited October 17, 2023 by Zakkhar