Please standardize mission progression in Striga.

[Hedgefund]

Currently, it's nigh impossible for 2 teammates with the same level to run through Striga content with both running the same contact (with one exception).  After the initial hunt for Stephanie Peebles, one player will get a mission to waylay robots, the other to save Dr. Francois.  Both of those are simply examples, the point is missions will rarely align for Stephanie Peebles (Striga part 1) and Tobias Hansen (Striga part 3).  Lars Hansen (Striga part 4) does indeed seem to follow a standard mission chain.  I have to confess I don't remember if Long Jack's arc (Striga part 2) can veer off.  

 

If you do these arcs from Ouro they do indeed seem to follow the same flow.  My suggestion is to have the mission chain "in the wild" follow the same for Ouro.

[TygerDarkstorm]

Striga is not the only zone with this issue. I was part of a redside completion group for a little bit that had a similar issue. Basically, anyone not the leader has to abandon the mish and respeak to the contact until you all have the same mission.

 

Not the prettiest solution, but it works.

[SwitchFade]

Contact mission randomization, where it is not always the same mission progression, same maps, same location, same mob spawn location, is the way it was designed.

 

No vote on standardization where the progression of missions is always the same.

[Coyotedancer]

And I'll counter Switch's "no" with a "Please, for the love of Dog, YES!"

 

I don't care if the missions are in different locations, with different maps.... That's not the problem. It's the random presentation of missions that's the issue. Contacts should offer the damned things in a consistent ORDER. Having to drop-talk-and-reaquire missions time after time after time after time while trying to get two or more team-mates the same task is a royal pain in the rear with long arcs, and the larger your team the more exponentially annoying it becomes. 

 

There's no up-side to that. There's nothing in it that makes running the arc more interesting or more enjoyable. 

 

 

 

Edited April 9, 2023 by Coyotedancer

[Rudra]

All I have to say is that depending on the arc and contact, a set mission progression can be very nice and so can a random mission progression. Like I said, it depends on the arc and contact to me. The only issue I have with the random arrangement in Striga is when you get an unassociated mission popping up in the middle of the arc. Ouroboros actually includes a non-arc mission as listed on paragonwiki and homecoming wiki in the arc for one of the Striga contacts. (Can't remember which.)

 

As far as the OP goes, if you are teaming, it would be nice if the contact(s) gave everyone the same missions when they ask if they are at the same point with the contact. Except for filler missions since those don't have a progression, just a completion. (By the same token, I've been on teams where the missions not lining up was preferred so they could run those missions again without having to go look for a new contact when the team leader is done. Team leader just selects one of the members' missions from the same arc, and they can keep progressing without needing a new contact. Though, those are more farming teams than anything else.) If you are solo, then different orders as long as the overall flow of the arc is consistent keeps things interesting.

 

Though I do disagree with @Coyotedancer's comment that larger teams having to cycle through the contact to get the same mission becomes more exponentially annoying since all members can be talking to the contact at the same time.

[Coyotedancer]

1 minute ago, Rudra said:

Though I do disagree with @Coyotedancer's comment that larger teams having to cycle through the contact to get the same mission becomes more exponentially annoying since all members can be talking to the contact at the same time.

 

Run Striga with a duo and then try it with a team of eight.

See how long it takes you all to get through, say, Peebles' arc.

 

It's not a trivial time investment to get everyone on the same mission given the number of possibilities. 

[Rudra]

Unless they are taking turns talking to Stephanie, I still don't get the problem. There is an equal chance for each character to get the same mission. Sure, her position limits the space for characters to gather around her, but still.

 

Edit: And she doesn't really have a lot of missions. 5 missions in her arc and 2 filler missions. And the first and last missions in her arc are guaranteed to be the same every time.

Edited April 9, 2023 by Rudra

[Coyotedancer]

1 hour ago, Rudra said:

Unless they are taking turns talking to Stephanie, I still don't get the problem. There is an equal chance for each character to get the same mission. Sure, her position limits the space for characters to gather around her, but still.

 

Edit: And she doesn't really have a lot of missions. 5 missions in her arc and 2 filler missions. And the first and last missions in her arc are guaranteed to be the same every time.

 

 

Some people will hit the right one on the first re-try. 

... And some people will spend the next ten minutes cycling through and *still* not land on The One.

 

Again, I fail to see how that adds anything to the experience of running the arcs. Is it "fun"? Does it add "interest"? Does it add "challenge"? I'd say not. All it adds is another reason not to run with a team.

[Rudra]

1 hour ago, Coyotedancer said:

 

 

Some people will hit the right one on the first re-try. 

... And some people will spend the next ten minutes cycling through and *still* not land on The One.

 

Again, I fail to see how that adds anything to the experience of running the arcs. Is it "fun"? Does it add "interest"? Does it add "challenge"? I'd say not. All it adds is another reason not to run with a team.

That is how RNG works. If you want to simplify the process, then ask for the RNG to place a block on abandoned missions for a period of time to increase the likelihood of getting the mission you are after. Some players like the RNG element. Especially if solo. Some teams like it too. It gives them more missions to run from the same contact. Other teams don't like it. That's just how it goes.

 

(Edit: Maybe ask for like a 5 minute timer to be placed on abandoned missions. That should be well more than long enough for your teammates to cycle through to the mission the team leader has with little fuss.)

Edited April 9, 2023 by Rudra

[Wavicle]

My buddy and I sometimes fish (Abandon and missions, repeatedly if necessary) for missions in order to get the same one in situations like this.

I agree it's lame and should be fixed.

Edited April 9, 2023 by Wavicle

[Rudra]

Just now, Wavicle said:

My buddy and I sometimes fish (Abandon and missions, repeatedly if necessary) for missions in order to get the same one in situations like this.

 

9 minutes ago, Rudra said:

That is how RNG works. If you want to simplify the process, then ask for the RNG to place a block on abandoned missions for a period of time to increase the likelihood of getting the mission you are after. Some players like the RNG element. Especially if solo. Some teams like it too. It gives them more missions to run from the same contact. Other teams don't like it. That's just how it goes.

 

(Edit: Maybe ask for like a 5 minute timer to be placed on abandoned missions. That should be well more than long enough for your teammates to cycle through to the mission the team leader has with little fuss.)

A timer would solve your problem without taking away the randomness other players enjoy.

[Wavicle]

Another fix would be for contacts to offer you a list of available missions so you could pick the one you want.

 

Random Mission could be an option on that list.

[A.I.D.A.]

Please remember that the Collaborative Missions setting exists in the options menu. Turn that on, drop your mission, and let Collaborative Missions give you completion for the branch the team leader got assigned.

[Wavicle]

3 hours ago, A.I.D.A. said:

Please remember that the Collaborative Missions setting exists in the options menu. Turn that on, drop your mission, and let Collaborative Missions give you completion for the branch the team leader got assigned.

collaborative missions only works if you have the same mission or missions that the game considers the same (for example, the Cimerora standard repeatable contact missions can be completed collaboratively even when the name of the boss is different). It won’t give you credit for a mission you don’t have.

[lemming]

This certainly isn't unique to Striga. Any of the contacts that have other missions besides their arcs.  Not to mention that Trilogy contact.

[gameboy1234]

On 4/9/2023 at 10:49 AM, Coyotedancer said:

And I'll counter Switch's "no" with a "Please, for the love of Dog, YES!"

 

I basically agree with this, but I'll go one further.  It would be nice to have team members get credit for completing a mission automatically, without them having to do anything.  There's a lot of missions where you get special rewards or badges, but only if you are holding the mission.  These would be much nicer if the whole team (which did do the mission after all) would get credit the same.  This should be automatic in most cases without having to do anything at all.

 

This would solve both Stephanie Peebles random missions as well as many more missions in game which require the person to be holding the same mission.  Overall the game would be better for this change imo.  It would at least partly eliminate the need to go back to Ouro to do old missions.  Instead you could just team with someone doing the mission.  (The current design, I think, reflects a need to extend game play as long as possible by putting the player through as much "busy-work" as possible, including limiting which missions count.  No longer needed, and at least a little pernicious now that XP gain is much faster.)

 

I think the only exception might be if you're too low level to get the mission.  But maybe not even then.  It would be cool if contacts "remembered" you and acted as if you did their missions already, assuming you did in fact do them, even though you were team with a mentor at the time.