Celebratory Invasions

[Yomo Kimyata]

I really do like zone events, especially unexpected ones.  I appreciate the devs occasionally adding invasions, like the recent Nemesis one and the current Rikti invasion.  (I'm still waiting for Ruularu).

 

What I do not love is the hamhanded constant on/off nature of these invasions.  Nemesis invasion in every zone, all the time, when the switch is flipped on.  Rikti bombs in every zone, all the time, when the switch is flipped on.  Minor exaggeration, but you see my point.  I get that it's only a week or two at a time, but it's tiring, and I don't think I'm the only one who thinks so.  Also, I have to presume that it is a lot harder to put together a group to combat a specific invasion if it is occurring constantly.  In this case, I believe that rarity would provide some added value.

 

Is it possible to allow invasions that are not player spawned to occur randomly on a less constant basis? Like a x% chance to spawn a random invasion at the top of every hour in one specific zone.

 

Would it be possible to add a QoL button that would allow you to opt out of invasions entirely?  It's annoying that I cannot level a character because the trainer is getting strafed by Rikti bombing.  I can certainly work around this, but I thought I would ask.

 

Happy hunting.

[ArchVileTerror]

I will say that Rikti Ship Blasts really suck when you're AFK near the trainer in Port Oakes . . . or just about anywhere else.  Or on your way somewhere.  Or attempts to roleplay/run an event (hello Monkey Fight Club last week).

Invasions are fun and great and all, but yeah.  Don't overdo it.  Perhaps if there were designated windows of safety, so players could make plans in advance.  Then the invasions -could- happen during other times to leave things a bit random.  I dunno.  Just spitballing.

[Greycat]

Well, they're not in every zone. Several, yes. And there are decent pauses between them.

 

As far as the dropship blasts - having the paths reviewed would probably be a good idea. What's frustrating is getting killed by a blast, going to the hospital, stepping outside the door and getting killed immediately again (Skyway.) "IC," it makes sense, but for playing it's really annoying. Some degree of a safe area around trainers, transportation and hospital areas

 

It did make me happy I was (still am) working on getting my elec/elec sentinel the rest of the way to 50. With the energy resists, she can fly top cover while she blasts, absorb the blasts and let others, especially lowbies, enjoy the rest of the fights.

[ShardWarrior]

2 hours ago, Yomo Kimyata said:

Would it be possible to add a QoL button that would allow you to opt out of invasions entirely? 

This already exists.  It is called do not participate in them and go about your normal business. 

[Yomo Kimyata]

2 minutes ago, ShardWarrior said:

This already exists.  It is called do not participate in them and go about your normal business. 

I certainly can choose to not play the game, but when I cannot run to the trainer, or to a mission, or "normal game business", I don't see that as already existing.  Is it in the Options menu, or did you find the solution at Null?

[ShardWarrior]

1 minute ago, Yomo Kimyata said:

I certainly can choose to not play the game, but when I cannot run to the trainer, or to a mission, or "normal game business", I don't see that as already existing.  Is it in the Options menu, or did you find the solution at Null?

There are trainers, stores, mission content and the like across just about every game zone. 

[Yomo Kimyata]

16 minutes ago, ShardWarrior said:

There are trainers, stores, mission content and the like across just about every game zone. 

Right.  So where did you say the option was to choose to not participate in invasions was?  I was in Kings Row earlier and got bombed twice trying to level to level 7 with Blue Steel.  Should I have gone to Talos to level, if I could have run fast enough to avoid the bombing?

 

Speaking of not participating, thanks for your opinion on my Suggestions topic!

 

[SwitchFade]

1 hour ago, Yomo Kimyata said:

Right.  So where did you say the option was to choose to not participate in invasions was?  I was in Kings Row earlier and got bombed twice trying to level to level 7 with Blue Steel.  Should I have gone to Talos to level, if I could have run fast enough to avoid the bombing?

 

Speaking of not participating, thanks for your opinion on my Suggestions topic!

 

I believe he meant if you just don't engage the rikti, and stand under anything, they don't spawn on you. If you keep moving they don't spawn on you.

 

Several zones have geometry that places you high enough that you're in range of the ship while on the ground, which I'm sure you know.

 

So, really the issue is specific: drop ship pathing and police drones next to trainers in "safe" areas.

[Greycat]

1 hour ago, ShardWarrior said:

There are trainers, stores, mission content and the like across just about every game zone. 

However, some missions and content take you to zones which are being invaded. There is no option to, say, complete your "Talk to Kung Bao" mission in any zone other than the one that contact is in. If the person cannot, say, get to the train station, does not have one of the various teleporters, etc. they're pretty much stuck in the zone... the one being invaded. You cannot choose where your mission door is.  So, no, other than logging out entirely, there's no 100% "I choose not to participate" option.

 

 

As far as the request,

 

4 hours ago, Yomo Kimyata said:

Would it be possible to add a QoL button that would allow you to opt out of invasions entirely?

No, as they happen zone wide, just like you cannot opt to not be engaged in PVP if you're in a PVP zone.

 

That said, you can *dodge* invasions - more so in some zones than others - by being under "things." Overpasses, building edges, etc. No, it doesn't help with trainers - since most of them are right out in the open (I can't think of any off the top of my head who aren't, other than War Witch in Pocket D,) but it's certainly worth requesting that the dropship paths be reviewed and changed to *not* hit people who are at the trainers. There are already police drones by them to hit hostile mobs that come too close, and now most NPC trainers will fight, as well, so the idea of a trainer being a "safe zone" (especially since you're in a full screen interface that blocks the world) is not unreasonable.

 

Alternately, let them kill you, but have a rez station in your base. Don't have a base, make one - doesn't have to be fancy, a plain room with a medporter, trainer, quartermaster, etc. there will work. Die, choose to rez in your base, use the trainer there, and either wait or use a teleport to go elsewhere. And of course, you don't get debt by getting killed during an invasion.

 

Edit: There's one sort of "opt out," if you're trying to do tips and alignment missions - do them in Atlas. If the alert comes up, dodge over there and run them, as Atlas will not have an invasion, ever, but you *can* turn in your tips and such there to get door missions. *Usually* they will show up in the same zone. So you can make some progress there while waiting for an invasion to end in the zone you want to go to.

Edited May 2, 2020 by Greycat
Remembered something!

[ShardWarrior]

1 hour ago, Greycat said:

However, some missions and content take you to zones which are being invaded. There is no option to, say, complete your "Talk to Kung Bao" mission in any zone other than the one that contact is in. If the person cannot, say, get to the train station, does not have one of the various teleporters, etc. they're pretty much stuck in the zone... the one being invaded. You cannot choose where your mission door is.  So, no, other than logging out entirely, there's no 100% "I choose not to participate" option.

Why would anyone not be able to make it to a train station?  You cannot use one of the literal dozens of freely open base teleports available here on these forums?  Most all - if not all - of which have trainers, stores, workshops?  Trying to paint these invasions as completely trapping you in the zone with no way to exit is a bit of an over exaggeration. 

 

2 hours ago, Yomo Kimyata said:

Right.  So where did you say the option was to choose to not participate in invasions was?  I was in Kings Row earlier and got bombed twice trying to level to level 7 with Blue Steel.  Should I have gone to Talos to level, if I could have run fast enough to avoid the bombing?

 The option is do not engage the Rikti and if you want to avoid the invasions, simply take a train to another zone.  If you are by Blue Steel, you could not make it to the train station to go to Atlas Park?  No offense meant at all, just seems odd that the ability to not participate in the invasion is there, you just do not want to seem to exercise it. 

[ABlueThingy]

They might be able to lower the chance of invasions in the lower level zones.

 

Or force the server to auto-instance any zone with an invasion and pop up an invasion free alternative.  So the tram shows "Steel Canyon" and "Steel Canyon - Safe"

[Greycat]

12 minutes ago, ShardWarrior said:

Why would anyone not be able to make it to a train station?

Possibly by having a dropship kill them. You know, like the thing the OP was complaining about to begin with...

12 minutes ago, ShardWarrior said:

 The option is do not engage the Rikti and if you want to avoid the invasions, simply take a train to another zone.  If you are by Blue Steel, you could not make it to the train station to go to Atlas Park? 

Not if they're getting killed, which happens when a dropship flies directly over and kills them. And going to another zone does not let them finish the missions they have *in the zone.* Also, the bombs these drop do quite a bit of knockback - not a worry for a higher level character with some resistance, but for a lowbie (level 7 was mentioned,) the possibility of "Try to avoid - get blasted - get bombed and get knocked back - get killed by NPC or second blast (or dropship right behind the first)" is very possible.

[ShardWarrior]

1 minute ago, Greycat said:

Possibly by having a dropship kill them. You know, like the thing the OP was complaining about to begin with...

So go to the hospital?  Drop ships are not at all difficult to avoid.  This is even easier if you have a base with medical facilities. 

 

3 minutes ago, Greycat said:

Not if they're getting killed, which happens when a dropship flies directly over and kills them. And going to another zone does not let them finish the missions they have *in the zone.* Also, the bombs these drop do quite a bit of knockback - not a worry for a higher level character with some resistance, but for a lowbie (level 7 was mentioned,) the possibility of "Try to avoid - get blasted - get bombed and get knocked back - get killed by NPC or second blast (or dropship right behind the first)" is very possible.

Yes I know what dropships are and what the bombs can do.  Perhaps try running somewhere outside the path of the drop ships?  Bombs are easily avoided and invasions only last a few minutes.  Going to another zone to do another mission is just not a hassle, sorry.