Two Questions - One Thread

[Tachstar]

Because conveeeeenience! Ahem.

 

#1. In the old days, was there a ringing telephone -- in Galaxy City, maybe? -- that one could answer, and get a mission?

 

#2. Are there more -def gun-toting bad guys in missions now?

 

Thanks in advance!

[Lazarillo]

1. No, not that I recall.  There were a couple of payphone-looking stations that patrol-type missions would occasionally send you to, and those are still in the game, though they're older content that gets buried by other stuff these days.  Most likely place you'll see them(?) is the Synapse TF, I'd expect.

 

2. Not so much in the low levels, to my knowledge, though it's worth noting that Praetorian enemy groups have energy weapons that often do -Def, and so that can end up present if you make a Going Rogue character, as well as getting a resurgence at very high levels if you're doing Unai Kemen or Maria Jenkins stuff, as well as in Incarnate Trials.  Energy weapons + -Def can eat through a lot of armor sets really quickly.  It's scary.  High-level Family enemies also have stolen Praetorian weapons, so watch out for them, and PPD Kheldians also have the Energy + -Def combo it in villainous missions at those high levels, though they don't use weapons for it.

[biostem]

2 hours ago, Tachstar said:

#1. In the old days, was there a ringing telephone -- in Galaxy City, maybe? -- that one could answer, and get a mission?

I don't recall this, but it could be interesting.

 

2 hours ago, Tachstar said:

#2. Are there more -def gun-toting bad guys in missions now?

Are you noticing this in a particular level range or against any specific enemy group?  Early on, I recall some Hellions pulling out revolvers, but it was always the LTs and their shotguns that annoyed me, (because of KD/KB)...

Edited November 5, 2022 by biostem

[Tachstar]

Low level stuff, particularly the early to mid teens. Skulls and Hellions are the ones that seem to be more 'gun-totin' than before. Maybe for some reason I'm just noticing it more. I've been playing a fire/earth blaster (currently at level 18), a savage/rad brute (14), and a fire/regen sentinel (8). All three started at team size x6, which is something I've been doing lately just for the heck of it, to see how long they can go before it gets too onerous. I dropped the blaster to x3 at around 14 or 15 (and on down to x1 tonight) and the brute to x4 at around 12. The sentinel did okay in the outbreak mission at x6 but out in the 'real world' just couldn't hang. Probably need to nerf regen some more. /e rimshot

 

The telephone thing -- I dunno. I have a very foggy memory of happening across a ringing payphone, clicking it, and getting a mission. I think in Galaxy City. Which I miss as a starting zone. A lot. I dunno. Memories... misty water-colored memories...

[Doomguide2005]

Council use a fair number of -def attacks but I don't recall any more on HC than on Live.  Likewise Arachnos wolf spiders but again don't recall any particular increase.

[TraumaTrain]

I don't know a telephone contact, but there are a Radio (Port Oakes), Television (Grandville), and Slot Machine (St. Martial) contacts.

 

 

[Snarky]

All three of the arcs TraumaTrain mentioned are excellent.  The Radio missions are in particular a wonderful story arc.  They take you from port oakes to cap au diable and introduce you to where your villain really is in the redside hierarchy.  The Slot Machine is a very short and strangely bittersweet twilight zone type arc.  The TV is just evil and fits well with wrapping up the villain journey

 

[Uun]

There has always been a ton of -def. Any Council minion armed with an Assault Rifle or Submachine Gun does -def. Same goes for Family and Marcone "Gunners", Skulls, Hellions and Outcasts armed with Submachine Guns, etc.

[EmperorSteele]

As far as "ringing telephone", it MAY have been a patrol mission that gave a door mission when done?

[Techwright]

4 minutes ago, EmperorSteele said:

As far as "ringing telephone", it MAY have been a patrol mission that gave a door mission when done?

That sounds about right.  The police box phones make a continuous tone and during certain task forced we've got to tag several with the last one leading to a door mission.

 

I guess I should ask, though:  are your recalling the low tone of the police box phone (yellow boxes) or possibly another sound, like the jangling of an old phone bell?  I was just over by Ascendant in Steel Canyon where both devices are adjacent to him, and heard the police box tone, but my hazy memory seems to recall a bell jangling as well.

[Tachstar]

One like this, making the standard beeping noise. My memory -- real or imagined -- is of being on my way to a mission, hearing the beep, and clicking the phone, whereupon I was offered a mission. It wasn't a story arc or anything like that. Seems like the person on the other end of the line was maybe some kinda military or paramilitary type... but I dunno. It's possible it had something to do with some other non-active mission I had on the same map, and I'm just remembering it wrong.

 

 

[Icono04]

@Tachstar Might you be thinking about The Major's story arc?  https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/The_Major  It doesn't involve exactly what you are describing, but a somewhat similar mechanic - a surprise call from a very hush-hush contact who insists on using phone booths to communicate. 

[Tachstar]

It's possible. I feel like this was before we could be vigilantes and rogues, but I dunno.