Get rid of hunts

[Hedgefund]

I've been doing old school contacts a lot recently.  The devs clearly learned a lot about making story arcs more fun and engaging as the game wore on.  

 

Starting from, let's say, Faultline revamp on, new arcs have mostly been self contained in a zone with few, if any hunts.  Since I mentioned Faultline, Penny, I do believe, is the only contact that has one and that's for a small number of Lost.

 

This in contrast to The Hollows, Croatoa and Striga, three zones I tend to do all the story arcs for while leveling.  They're all loaded with hunts all of which disrupt the momentum I'm enjoying when they come up.  Croatoa is especially annoying with hunts that have mobs on neighborhood borders that you darn well better be on the right side of or you wasted your effort. 

 

These are just some examples.  I've been tending to do old, old school contacts lately as well and they inevitably have hunts that, to me, disrupt the flow of the arc.  

 

I'm not talking about the one-off hunts.  If people are choosing those they must be enjoying them (or not knowing they're optional).  Hunts in arcs though, I do think deserve a look to see what can be streamlined.  If it means lowering merits, that's a tradeoff I'm willing to make.

Edited June 27, 2021 by Hedgefund

[srmalloy]

One of the tweaks I would like to see done with hunts is to take the "Find information on [goal]. Defeat [number] [group]" missions, where the end-mission text is always "On one of the [group] you defeated, you found [information]", and alter them so that the goal information can 'drop' from any of the mobs you defeat for the mission, so that you may not have to grind through the whole roster of thugs to get what you're after. Use a sliding chance for it to drop, so that it's unlikely to drop from the first one you defeat, but gets more and more likely as your defeat string rolls on. That way it feels more like you're out roughing up thugs until you get what you need, not a 'beat up all these thugs, and you got the information you wanted from the first one you beat up, but you kept on beating them up just for kicks' thing -- the former feels more like a hero/rogue thing, the latter more of a villain/vigilante thing (teach them not to try to hide things from you).

 

[Marbing]

1 hour ago, srmalloy said:

One of the tweaks I would like to see done with hunts is to take the "Find information on [goal]. Defeat [number] [group]" missions, where the end-mission text is always "On one of the [group] you defeated, you found [information]", and alter them so that the goal information can 'drop' from any of the mobs you defeat for the mission, so that you may not have to grind through the whole roster of thugs to get what you're after. Use a sliding chance for it to drop, so that it's unlikely to drop from the first one you defeat, but gets more and more likely as your defeat string rolls on. That way it feels more like you're out roughing up thugs until you get what you need, not a 'beat up all these thugs, and you got the information you wanted from the first one you beat up, but you kept on beating them up just for kicks' thing -- the former feels more like a hero/rogue thing, the latter more of a villain/vigilante thing (teach them not to try to hide things from you).

 

I like this idea and I will go one step further, what if on some of those hunt missions the "hunted" get tipped of that you are hunting specifically them and thus gang up to attack you sometimes. Like here you are taking on a group of Hellions and then OH NO another group of Hellions comes in to help them from around the corner! I think that could make them more interesting and engaging. Also, any of those that you kill arrest that tried to help would count toward your total. 

Edited June 27, 2021 by th0ughtGun

[ninja surprise]

I'd love it if the Croatoa neighborhood boundaries were enlarged so that there weren't gaps between them. Seems for some of the hunts, the mobs spawn along the trees just outside a neighborhood and it's a royal hassle to try to drag them into the border before defeating them. 

[biostem]

I think a better option would be something like "defeat a [lt or higher] of [enemy group in question]" to progress the quest line...

[Arbegla]

I would love for the 'point' system that has been implemented for the badges to count for the hunt missions, so if you defeat a boss, it counts as 3 (or something) so you can clear the hunts faster by fighting the tougher mobs.

[SwitchFade]

Unpopular, but I like hunts. Never encountered one that was burdensome. 

[Arbegla]

25 minutes ago, SwitchFade said:

Unpopular, but I like hunts. Never encountered one that was burdensome. 

 

50 Malta in PI comes to mind...

[SwitchFade]

Just now, Arbegla said:

 

50 Malta in PI comes to mind...

Nothing wrong with that for me 😁

[Greycat]

Eh, I don't think I'd want them deleted. I would want them looked at - the ones in Croatoa (specifically looking for fir Bolg in the Misty Wood... think that's Nemmer's mission) has always been problematic mostly due to the "vagueness" of where the hunt area starts and where they spawn.

 

I wouldn't argue with the "point system" mentioned above (other than those specificially requesting a hunt of, say, fake nems or bosses, as I could see that getting gummed up) or perhaps long strings of repeated hunt missions.

[Arbegla]

1 hour ago, Greycat said:

I wouldn't argue with the "point system" mentioned above (other than those specificially requesting a hunt of, say, fake nems or bosses, as I could see that getting gummed up) or perhaps long strings of repeated hunt missions.

 

Aside from a few low level missions where they specifically ask you to take out an instigator or something, are there any other 'hunt X Specific mobs of group Y' type quests?

Edited June 29, 2021 by Arbegla

[Greycat]

5 minutes ago, Arbegla said:

 

Aside from a few low level missions where they specifically ask you to take out an instigator or something, are there any other 'hunt X Specific mobs of group Y' type quests?

 

Honestly, I'm not sure. I know there are badges for them, which I would assume would be unaffected, but couldn't recall if there were specific missions asking for types versus groups, so...

[SuggestorK]

Well some hunt Missions make sense.. but these old Police Chief hunt missions low lvl area like for Perez Park that block important badge missions or arcs.. they should either replace only the hunt mish from contact or be shelfed together to an extra contact..

 

Would much improve low contacts mission getting.

 

Greetings

[Greycat]

6 minutes ago, SuggestorK said:

Well some hunt Missions make sense.. but these old Police Chief hunt missions low lvl area like for Perez Park that block important badge missions or arcs.. they should either replace only the hunt mish from contact or be shelfed together to an extra contact..

 

Would much improve low contacts mission getting.

 

Greetings

 

I can't remember the last time I was even sent to a police chief...

[MTeague]

I don't think I've ever seen a police chief meeting be a placeholder that I *have to* clear to get a different story arc / badge mission to activate.

 

And *most* of the police chief missions aren't really that hard. Tedious perhaps, but so is going through a five story buidling to find the kidnappee to rescue. It's just part of being a hero. Somedays you rescue people, somedays you put the smack down on a criminal operation that's gotten out of hand.  (annnnnnnd somedays you do a Mayhem Mission and blow up most of a downtown area....)

 

Now, when the police chief wants me to go into the Abandoned Sewer Network for 50 Rikti, I do sigh deeply and decide just how much I care. "C'mon chief. Can we wait until they actually threaten someone on the surface?"

[GraspingVileTerror]

Alternatively, I'd like to see Hunts done in instanced versions of the neighbourhoods they're meant to take place in.  Fulfil on delivering the Difficulty Settings which a player has opted to set themself for.

And that's not to discourage Street Sweeping, mind you.  I think Street Sweeping has a lot of wonderful potential that hasn't been tapped in to yet.  I just think that Hunt missions are such a bloody painful disconnect from the typical mission structure that it would be more consistent to the Contact-based mission structure.

This would also open the door for more creative implementations to the narrative for Hunts.  The "multiple of 5" quota always felt especially unimmersive to me.  Implementing Hunts in missions could result in a narrative scenario such as:  "Beat this guy who tells you about that guy, who knows this tidbit that leads you to this other guy, who ultimately knows where they hid the bodies."

 

Granted, there are undoubtedly some potential issues that would need to be worked out, so this isn't a suggestion for a quick fix.  Rather, as something to work toward over time.

[SuggestorK]

13 hours ago, MTeague said:

I don't think I've ever seen a police chief meeting be a placeholder that I *have to* clear to get a different story arc / badge mission to activate.

 

And *most* of the police chief missions aren't really that hard. Tedious perhaps, but so is going through a five story buidling to find the kidnappee to rescue. It's just part of being a hero. Somedays you rescue people, somedays you put the smack down on a criminal operation that's gotten out of hand.  (annnnnnnd somedays you do a Mayhem Mission and blow up most of a downtown area....)

 

Now, when the police chief wants me to go into the Abandoned Sewer Network for 50 Rikti, I do sigh deeply and decide just how much I care. "C'mon chief. Can we wait until they actually threaten someone on the surface?"

Try to get the badge mish for the 1st accomplishment badge (Negotiator) from the LVL 5-10 clockwork contact if the char is LVL 8-9, practically impossible in like 90 from 100 chars i played, the badge mish (2nd entry) gets blocked by damn police chief, sometimes he doesn't show up and i get the badge or a regular door mish from the contact instead, dont know why that is. The 1st entry is always a hunt mish anyway so i ignore them altogether unless they start a storyarc.

 

Back on live i circumvent it by selecting chief on different contact and get the mish i wanted and then drop him again, but that was before radio mishes when we had more then 1 of the classic contact active in that LVL area. Today i ignore the contact  and wait till im outlvld him so i can do it via ourobous without the hassle.

 

Greetings

[Vanden]

If @The Philotic Knight ever gets Project Spelunker finished I should be able to link the idea I had for hunts years and years ago. Needless to say, it was mind-bogglingly brilliant, believe you me

[_NOPE_]

49 minutes ago, Vanden said:

If @The Philotic Knight ever gets Project Spelunker finished I should be able to link the idea I had for hunts years and years ago. Needless to say, it was mind-bogglingly brilliant, believe you me

Oh, the files are there (mostly), if you want to BROWSE through all of them... 😉  :

http://cohforums.cityofplayers.com/files/

 

From the first:

http://cohforums.cityofplayers.com/files/boards.cityofheroes.com-threads-range-11140-20120904-045005/http_boards.cityofheroes.com_showthread__p1.html

 

To the last (until the moment the Internet Archive took their snapshot on 09/07/2012:

http://cohforums.cityofplayers.com/files/boards.cityofheroes.com-threads-range-29687-20120907-012111/http_boards.cityofheroes.com_showthread__t296879.html

 

Until then, you might want to wait until I got a site map finished up, then Google will be able to search them. And I want to wait for that until I get those last ten HUGE files processed.

 

Soon™

Edited June 30, 2021 by The Philotic Knight

[Vanden]

1 hour ago, The Philotic Knight said:

Oh, the files are there (mostly), if you want to BROWSE through all of them...

 

You know I don't

[MsSmart]

Hunts in my opinion are anti-climatic in a interesting story arc, it is more feel breaking if the target of the hunt is rare, like carnival of shadows who do not even have a real area its theirs. Get a mission, hunt, defeat 40 carnival, and you are in boredom town, since they may appear somewhere occupied by a Rickti, Nemesis or Malta.

 

So when a hunt is called for in a TF or Arc, it would be nice if the hunt itself, is not fastidious as in finding the darn mob type. I would also like to see in some missions or Tfs, where you have to go to fight the mob, such as kill Crey in Crey's Folley, just get the darn numbner of them anywhere you can, and get it over....

 

I would suggest in a Numina, which is essentially a hunt all over, to allow things being defeated in any order and simultaneous, so while some are defeating trolls, and others are defeating warriors, etc., all at the same time and tallying them in parallel as opposed to wait for someone to be cleared and advanced to the next one. Just something to make Numina less of a drag...

 

Hugs

 

Sue