Mastery Rank 11 Test - Unreasonably Difficult

[StarGeezerTim]

I realize this will come off as a rant, but I'm at wit's end.  I've been trying to nearly a week to pass this test, to no avail.  I've tried with fast frames like Loki and Nova, and slower frames like standard Rhino.  I've used high fire rate weapons, wide hitscan weapons, etc.

 

I have noticed, however, that not all time bonuses register correctly.  Varying depending which resource you refer to, you're supposed to get somewhere between 3 and 4 seconds for each orb you successfully target and destroy.  I've purposely watched the timer, and have gotten as few as 1 and 2 seconds on numerous occasions, and have even had a few not register any bonus time whatsoever.

 

The general requirement on all tests to wait 24 hours before re-taking them is an unreasonable hindrance in and of itself. And this test in particular is bothersome and quite likely bugged owing to the non-registering bonus orbs.

 

I do acceptably well at the game otherwise; not a dedicated "twitch"-style player, but a decent enough sort at general running and shooting mechanics to keep up with those who are generally acclaimed as high-performance players.  This despite being a...shall we say, "man of a certain age" with moderate arthritis in both hands.

 

Heck, we pay for everything else, why not offer folks the opportunity to pay with either credits or plat for either the chance to retake the test or, at an "advanced" price-point, the chance to bypass the test altogether (say after 3 legitimate attempts to take any given rank-up test.)   This is just getting discouraging as it stands right now.

 

OK, rant over.  Suggestions, tips, and even trolls are welcome. :)

[Scintilus]

Have you wandered across the planet called Youtube? Ok leaving in 3 2 1.

[StarGeezerTim]

Have you wandered across the planet called Youtube? Ok leaving in 3 2 1.

 

Yep, it's the first thing I do before taking a test, and this was no exception.  I've even re-watched a number of vids after failing a few times, and none really provide any real remedy to the problems I'm running into.  I'm either exceptionally inept (a possibility I have not altogether discounted, frankly) or the test itself is either over-plumbed, bugged, or both.

[Xirka]

Since you said trolls were welcome, I have to say this.

Get good scrub......

Also... Look to YouTube for some help.

Edited May 5, 2014 by Xirka

[Tali]

maybe you are missing some of the orbs or maybe youre system is lagging even through you cant see it. have you tried lowering graphics?

[Ammolds]

Practice makes perfect.

 

Also

 

maybe you are missing some of the orbs or maybe youre system is lagging even through you cant see it. have you tried lowering graphics?

^

[StarGeezerTim]

All very possible culprits, I suppose.  I have a decent enough card (a 670), and I already run less-than-optimal settings to keep my temperature under 50°C, mostly things like anisotropic filtering, shadows, bloom and other graphic-intensive settings.  My framerate stays at a pretty constant 60fps. 

 

I haven't checked my ping directly to DE (I'm not even sure you can), but on average my latency is under 50ms (and typically in the 15-20ms range) so that too shouldn't be an issue.  If my ping is abnormally high, that might explain why some of the bonus spheres either aren't registering at all or are giving sub-par time bonuses.

 

In any event, I'll keep plugging along but since nothing besides braggin' rights comes from here forward (for now) for progressing in mastery, I'm not  going to sweat it that much.  It is frustrating, to be sure, but not worth the proverbial rage-quit.  Thanks for the tips. :)

[Tali]

hm thats weird, have you tried asking support?

[StarGeezerTim]

hm thats weird, have you tried asking support?

 

Not yet, again it's not the end of the world, simply frustrating...especially if I'm being thwarted by wonky game mechanics.  C'est la vie.

[D1398342003]

I wonder if it's possible to cheat this test with a Zephyr and lots of duration and efficiency mods. Using the first power to just fly to the end. (Unless there's no frame power in the test of course)

 

Could also be possible to use Nova or Excal to do this. 

 

When I did this test though, the timer was bugged, and I walked to the end, with no seconds left by a solid minute or two.

[Ammolds]

A full-auto rifle... preferably a braton or something as accurate.

 

Mod for reload speed and clip size as you only need a single bullet to take out the orbs and don't be afraid to spray.

 

Take the fastest warframe you have, modding with Rush might help.

 

Never stop moving, unless you're at the point where you have to wait for the platform to move up.

Take out targets without fine aiming if you're moving. Start trying to hipfire hit it from a distance, instead of getting upclose. If move-shooting keeps missing and you are starting to go past it, then stop or fine-aim.

 

Fine-aim and standing will slow you down drastically.

 

Having crouch as a toggle instead of a hold will help (keybindings are there) at the slope where you can just slide down the entire way... and if you're about to go past an orb then just hit crouch while sliding to stop.

 

And lastly, be calm. Don't take it seriously. Else you'll make mistakes just because you're not focusing.

Edited May 6, 2014 by Ammolds

[low1991]

All very possible culprits, I suppose.  I have a decent enough card (a 670), and I already run less-than-optimal settings to keep my temperature under 50°C, mostly things like anisotropic filtering, shadows, bloom and other graphic-intensive settings.  My framerate stays at a pretty constant 60fps.

off-topic: how do you set your settings below optimal?? or i'm just reading it wrongly/

[Ammolds]

off-topic: how do you set your settings below optimal?? or i'm just reading it wrongly/

Below/Less-than-optimal means that your framerate is suffering.

 

ie. Medium Textures = 60fps; High Textures = 50fps

 

Medium is the optimal, High is below optimal (harming performance).

[StarGeezerTim]

OK, this is beyond ridiculous.  I'll be first to admit I'm not the best at these types of games, but I purposely watched this time, and several of the orbs gave absolutely ZERO time bonus, including one I hit just before failing the test...yet again.   That last one should have, theoretically, given me another 3 seconds, but it gave nothing.

 

I'm officially calling this test broken.  Please take another look at this DE.

[NitroMidgets]

The premise of Mastery Tests seems like wasted time and manpower at DE. Most involve pointless tasks that neither teach nor test anything that is really vital to the game. Get from point A to point B while shooting orbs and climbing. How does that test a players worthiness of getting to use a better weapon? It doesn't. They need a better system for that. It should have been linked to progress in the Star Map and not XP or a pointless test.

 

If you complete planet X then you can use any of these weapons. Complete planet Y and now you can use these as well. That sort of thing. As it is now I could sit at Mars and XP farm all day then cheat a test and get what I want. At least if it required completion of parts of the Solar System it would encourage you to test yourself against harder opponents.

 

Remove the tests. The experiment did not work out as intended.

[StarGeezerTim]

Totally agree, NitroMidgets (cool name, btw.)  At its kernel, the concept of testing various aspects of the game isn't in-and-of itself a bad one.  But there's currently very little point to some of the tests themselves.  Much of gameplay is extremely dependent on personal style, choice of frame and weapon, mods, etc.  Someone who specializes in support roles, for instance, isn't going to have much "real" need during actual gameplay for wallrunning while shooting.  Sure, it's a great skill to have in a pinch, but if you're throwing up Snow Globes to keep a cryopod or choke-point as your primary reason for being, I'm not sure how often that's going to actually come up.

 

Furthermore, "gating" content behind such arbitrary tests is virtually always a bad idea.  I hate it in MMO's, and I'm none-too-fond of it in this venue.  While at this point, there's little I can't actually access in terms of gear, the upcoming Focus system will have a very real, tangible impact on your ability to acquire Focus slots/points.  My ability (or lack thereof) to slide on my arse while shooting moving balls shouldn't be the deciding factor on whether I can ultimately get those slots.  In fact, as memory serves I have yet to be attacked in the game by hostile floaty balls, so there's a disconnect on just what it is I'm trying to prove proficiency in.

 

And I still assert some of those floating balls are faulty, not giving the time credit they are supposed to in order to finish this already capricious "test."

[-StarrKiller-]

Ok ive been at this test for 1 week now and either its me or this test os buggy. The timer starts before i can even move in the game and the orbs are not giving me correct credits wen i destrpy them its no 3 seconds or 4 seconds its really like 1 second or 2 seconds. And ive tried every typr of weapon and fast frame and mid level fast frames its just not happening. I dont know whats going on with this test but DE needs to really look into this. and to add insult to inury i have to wait 24hrs everytime. seriously!!!!! I mean come on. this 24hr wait thing is discouraging me from this game and it makes  not want to buy, play, or build anything unless i pass it. You guys need to fix this to at least 4hrs a day or give playres 3 times a day before your 24hr clock start how else are we suppose to square up to the challenge.

 

FIXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

[3Giap]

I got problem with time in this test too, no + time when destroy orb.

[Xarian]

Clearly a bug.

 

I did this test a few months ago with a MK-1 Braton. With the time bonus, test is easy.

[StarGeezerTim]

While I'm saddened that others are having issues with this test, it is at least comforting to know it wasn't simply my own ineptitude that was causing me to fail this.  At one point, I had my Loki (already the fastest frame in the game) coupled with every sprint/stamina mod I could feasibly cram onto it, and I STILL couldn't beat the test.  

 

Thanks to others checking this out and confirming the problem.  The test is broken, and needs to be fixed.

 

EDIT:  I had submitted a support ticket about this issue earlier this week.  I took the liberty of linking this thread as a follow-up, so hopefully the developers will see it and address it in a timely fashion.  Thanks to all who have provided input here.

Edited May 16, 2014 by StarGeezerTim

[StarGeezerTim]

Received this afternoon from the helpdesk:

 

Hello StarGeezerTim,

 

Thank you for reporting this bug! The dev team is already aware of this issue and we will have it fixed as soon as possible. We will also be sure to follow up with you if we have any further questions.

 

To see when this bug gets fixed, please keep an eye on the Update notes posted in the forums:

 

https://forums.warframe.com/index.php?/forum/3-update-build-notes/

 

Thanks again for bringing this to our attention!