Upgrade Maria Jenkins to always include Siege and add Antimatter

[Psi-bolt]

1 hour ago, golstat2003 said:

 

I would not be opposed either, but knowing HC (and probably would shake out that way in beta) it would probably cost a shit ton of inf.

 

EDIT: Hmmmm, having all the accolades accessible via START for crazy amounts of inf (minimum 800 million to 1 billion) would be another great inf sink.

 

I guess it's my turn to be a contrarian, but I do think it's nice that there are some things that you have to earn in the game, even if that's really easy.

[MTeague]

8 hours ago, Psi-bolt said:

You are correct, but it's an eleven part story arc (I have it down to a science, but not everyone does).  The one part with Ouroboros is that you're locked out of everything else until you complete it.  It's why when I'm leveling an alt I like to ensure that I get to Tina before 45.   But you really didn't respond to the idea, do you have an issue with extending Tina's range or are you just being contrarian (not that there's anything wrong with being contrarian, it allows folks to refine their ideas)?

I am generally a contrarian when it feels like there is already a perfectly good in game solution that people can't be bothered to use because "it will take so long". 

 

If certain players would rather not use the existing solution, but prefer to sit, wait, and hope the devs will take action to alter missions / content, because they don't want to spend a two-to-there hours (maybe less!) to do it, my sympathy levels plummet straight through the floorboards. It feels like someone calling a plumber to handle a backed up toilet when there's a perfectly good plunger right there, but they would feel icky using the plunger. 

[Psi-bolt]

49 minutes ago, MTeague said:

I am generally a contrarian when it feels like there is already a perfectly good in game solution that people can't be bothered to use because "it will take so long". 

 

If certain players would rather not use the existing solution, but prefer to sit, wait, and hope the devs will take action to alter missions / content, because they don't want to spend a two-to-there hours (maybe less!) to do it, my sympathy levels plummet straight through the floorboards. It feels like someone calling a plumber to handle a backed up toilet when there's a perfectly good plunger right there, but they would feel icky using the plunger. 

 

That's fair, but that wasn't what I suggested.  I specifically just want to make Tina a level 40-50 contact.  Not just to deal with outleveling but because her missions "feel" (subjective I know) more appropriate to the end game.   In that respect, you would still have to do her arc without the Ouro lockout. 

[MTeague]

27 minutes ago, Psi-bolt said:

 

That's fair, but that wasn't what I suggested.  I specifically just want to make Tina a level 40-50 contact.  Not just to deal with outleveling but because her missions "feel" (subjective I know) more appropriate to the end game.   In that respect, you would still have to do her arc without the Ouro lockout. 

 

Ah. I appear to have skimmed over that. My apologies. No real objection there. It's already 40-45, so even flashbacked, you'd still have access to incarnate powers.  (If it was 40-44, I'd be less keen on extending to 50)

[Ukase]

22 hours ago, Rudra said:

And as far as the "missed opportunities" go? Players can turn off xp before joining or during any TF if they don't want to out-level current contacts.

I know this is an option. But it's an option I would never want to do. The whole reason we get the bells and whistle when dinging is to trigger our brains to enjoy the look and sound of it to keep us grinding away. Think I'm going to actively turn off XP to avoid missing an opportunity? Not that opportunity. As mentioned, there are alternative ways to get those defeats - with other alts that have them saved. I've already done the work, so it's not a big deal to me. 

But the naysaying of an idea because it would make things easier isn't necessarily a good reason to not do it. It could be a reason to do it. 

And to be clear, the requirements aren't that annoying in this specific case. But when you're doing it for hundreds of characters, it gets old. Really old. If I were a better player, I could stand on my skill and not require those extra tiny bit of hit points and stamina. But, I'm only slightly better than mediocre, so I need all the help I can get. So, I have already jumped through the hoops and have the requisite missions saved, so I don't have to turn down opportunities or XP. 

But I still say the suggestion is a good idea, worth doing. 

[Rudra]

1 hour ago, Ukase said:

I know this is an option. But it's an option I would never want to do.

Then don't. Absolutely none of the badges, let alone the accolade badges, are required to play the game in its entirety.

 

1 hour ago, Ukase said:

The whole reason we get the bells and whistle when dinging is to trigger our brains to enjoy the look and sound of it to keep us grinding away. Think I'm going to actively turn off XP to avoid missing an opportunity? Not that opportunity.

If you don't want to bother with getting the badges, no one is forcing you to get them. Leveling is great, but if you are focused on leveling as fast as you can like this comment makes it seem you are, then you should always expect to miss things and then have to go back through the alternate steps to get what you want that you missed.

 

1 hour ago, Ukase said:

And to be clear, the requirements aren't that annoying in this specific case. But when you're doing it for hundreds of characters, it gets old. Really old.

That can be said about every aspect of the game. It is a very old game with only volunteer support to keep it going. That doesn't mean an already very easy game to get damn near everything should be made even easier to get everything. You play how you want, you make your choices about what to do, and you deal with the after effects of those decisions.

 

1 hour ago, Ukase said:

If I were a better player, I could stand on my skill and not require those extra tiny bit of hit points and stamina. But, I'm only slightly better than mediocre, so I need all the help I can get.

I have a really hard time believing anyone is having as much problems as this comment implies. Even I don't struggle as much as this comment is implying.

 

1 hour ago, Ukase said:

So, I have already jumped through the hoops and have the requisite missions saved, so I don't have to turn down opportunities or XP. 

Great! So you have the badges including the accolades you want then! Problem solved.

 

Edit: It's not like you or the author are talking about the nightmares that I've known some players were running the trial every chance they got for 2 months before they finally got their last nightmare. Or the Anti-Matter iTrial where all it takes is one person not paying attention or deciding that badges don't matter to him/her/them and so shouldn't to anyone else and so ruins that badge run for everyone else requiring them to wait for the next time the trial is run to try for the badge again. Or any other of the still have way high requirements or relies on teammates/leaguemates not ruining the run badges in the game. You are talking about Portal Jockey. A badge you can get solo from doing content from just two contacts.

 

Edited 14 hours ago by Rudra

[Shin Magmus]

6 hours ago, Rudra said:

I have a really hard time believing anyone is having as much problems as this comment implies. Even I don't struggle as much as this comment is implying.

   People like Ultimo exist.  20% extra Max HP would really be the difference-maker for people that weak, although usually their success or failure is decided by how much buffing their teammates throw out to carry them. 

[tidge]

This sort of request feels (to me) like another FOMO by not having everything (Stat boosts, Purples, Accolade Powers, blah blah fishcakes) on every character, at will.

 

In-game, blue side: The Tina and Maria PI contacts are excellent for accumulating XP (including Incarnate XP, should the character be there) for both teams (natch) *and* solo... solo is especially good because of the NPCs that help in certain missions, and the variety of opponents that are weak to different damage types. The player needs to know which missions are which, but if the player is *bored* by those arcs and didn't learn anything... why does that player deserve an easy path?

 

I agree with the sentiment that "waiting" for a contact to give a specific mission is annoying... so here is some validation on that point. I simply don't think it is that big a deal, because for solo play we have a mechanism (Ouroboros) to get missions that grant things we need for (most, certainly the stat-boosting) accolades.

[Psi-bolt]

32 minutes ago, tidge said:

This sort of request feels (to me) like another FOMO by not having everything (Stat boosts, Purples, Accolade Powers, blah blah fishcakes) on every character, at will.

 

In-game, blue side: The Tina and Maria PI contacts are excellent for accumulating XP (including Incarnate XP, should the character be there) for both teams (natch) *and* solo... solo is especially good because of the NPCs that help in certain missions, and the variety of opponents that are weak to different damage types. The player needs to know which missions are which, but if the player is *bored* by those arcs and didn't learn anything... why does that player deserve an easy path?

 

I agree with the sentiment that "waiting" for a contact to give a specific mission is annoying... so here is some validation on that point. I simply don't think it is that big a deal, because for solo play we have a mechanism (Ouroboros) to get missions that grant things we need for (most, certainly the stat-boosting) accolades.

 

The only one that is really annoying is the Siege mission, which is mitigated on Excelsior, at least, by BAFs being run quite regularly.  If the Siege mission gave a badge (and thus was in Ouro) it would be fine IMO. 

[PyroBeetle]

There are already easy ways to get both Siege and Antimatter, so I do not see the need for any changes to the mission arc as it is. Honestly this is not a game that needs to be a grind, if you are enjoying the toon you play missions dont seem to be that onerous...if you are not enjoying the toon, then honestly, getting Portal Jockey isnt going to solve it for you. And honestly, if you dont enjoy doing the same mission arcs over and over again, playing a 20 year old game is probably not for you...

[tidge]

4 hours ago, Psi-bolt said:

 

The only one that is really annoying is the Siege mission, which is mitigated on Excelsior, at least, by BAFs being run quite regularly.  If the Siege mission gave a badge (and thus was in Ouro) it would be fine IMO. 

 

The level 45-50 arcs are available (one time only) for level 50s, and Maria Jenkins requires no introduction. The original Tina M arc is in Ouro. I suppose it is 'annoying' but so are shoelaces.

[Ukase]

14 hours ago, Rudra said:

I have a really hard time believing anyone is having as much problems as this comment implies. Even I don't struggle as much as this comment is implying.

Look, the cold truth of my comment (that this quoted) is that I consider myself a better than average player. But, I have no idea what's encompassed in that data set. I've seen some of the most incompetent players in various content. And I've also had the privilege of seeing players like @o.0...or is it O.0?  Raze, whatever his darn global is. I've seen that player - and some of the  builds they've shared on discord, which is so unlike how I would do anything, and if I hadn't seen them play, I would call the builds trash. But they make things work really well. And I saw video of @Projector using Brawl in an advanced mode TF, for crying out loud. I've been lucky to have teamed with folks like Makerian and PARA when they carried me with incan through an advanced mode lgtf. 

Players that probably only barely recognize my name from Liberty and Champions who can make things look so easy. They impress me every time. So many great players that don't even play anymore because of health reasons, or whatever. So, I don't presume to boast about my abilities, and try to downplay it, because I really have no idea if I'm great or good or stinky. It all depends on the data set. 

Do I struggle? Of course not. I might at level 12 in some content, just like I might struggle at level 20 in other content. Depends on the settings, my AT, and lately - because my left turn key got coffee spilled on it, so I had to establish a different key to use until my new keyboard comes in. Tried to remove the keys and clean it, and that helped, but it's still weird. 

My final position on this specific issue is I think Rudra is somewhat correct. Most of probably get badges because we have this mindset about badges. For some, getting them is a justification for investing so much time into a given character. For others, maybe there's a hope of getting some kind of recognition from another player, a bit of respect. I can't speak for most folks. 
But the more badges you have, while it's not a causation or correlation thing, it does at least suggest you know something about what you're doing. And that makes me feel better on harder content, right or wrong. It is the main reason I get them, so folks can know that I have at least half a clue about what I'm doing. 

So, because my brain, right or wrong, works that way, I'm going to reverse my position. The hoops to jump through show a dedication to it that just doing a story arc and grabbing some explorations won't display. I wish my brain could forget all about badges and accolades. I'd probably have more fun. But, it doesn't. And there's something nice about logging in my primary character with all the badges and taking the number 1 position, despite Voltor's eleventy-seventy something plus characters hogging the rankings. Eat my dust, Voltor! (j/k, great work)