This would've been a fine alert if it weren't for Cybermind's knockback. It's hard enough to get a team that has figured out the color relatively well and can stay alive long enough to dps him... We really didn't need to get knocked back into the death zone and nearly insta-dying everytime...
I *THINK* that if you block them the force detonations will not knock you out of the square, but they are very badly telegraphed, particularly if you have team members who can pile a lot of visual effects on the enemy.
Nope... I blocked... got knocked out of the square anyway, more than once. If blocking was enough, and there was some warning, that'd be ok, but there's no real warning, and blocking wasn't enough. I eventually went and respec'd my last "floater" power to be Circle of Primal Dominion, which gave enough KB resist. I imagine most people don't have that option.
Heck, three runs, and I only saw it used twice. Both times, thankfully, right when the rain effect stopped.
He's thrown it at me every single time I've fought him, and it takes at least one tick of the rain to get back into the square. If he happens to be aiming at you with is hits, you'd best have some extra CON, +Health, or a good chunk of self-healing going on... and this is after you've got the color mechanics down well.
If content is too easy, people will do it a few times, get all the loot the first day, then never play it again.
Yeah, that's why nobody ever queues for nemesis smash alerts, but they line up around the block to do therakiel's temple! It's not easy content that people won't play again, its boring content that people only play until they've got everything they want. Being locked out of a 10+ minute fight is boring, I imagine... so is being killed repeatedly after doing everything right, solely because you lack enough KB resistance or health to soak patently unavoidable damage. No doubt all the people who are quitting the alert are just logging off to sit there shaking about how AWESOME it is, so they'll come back, buy some cosmic keys, and do it all over again!
If you want new content to increase interest in the game, make it fun for everybody.
The colours are Red/Blue/Yellow, so I guess the one colour that looks off to you would be red? The squares are normally black, so it should be noticeable even if you can't see the colour.
I think that the squares that light up for ranged tend to be facing the appropriate color as well... It'll be one corner and one middle block, and the middle block was, the times I kept track, facing the color that matched it. I don't know if there's any method to guess what the center tile is, though.
Red/Green is the most common form of colorblindness... but Red/Blue is second. Probably wouldn't hurt for it to throw up a bit of text on the screen, or possibly have symbols added to the squares and color columns.
I *think-* Note I haven't tested this but based on past and present trends this is the most logical explanation I can think of based on what I've seen- if someone is standing in melee with him when the rain is coming down, he wont knock people around. In the runs I've done someone is almost always standing in melee with him, and the only time I've seen him use that move is when he didn't have a target for his hatred standing right in his face. Given mob AI and more recent trends it just seems like the most likely answer.
I'll take another crack at it later and see if I can't test out that theory, but it's hard since I can't go in solo and screw around.
...I just recently realized something really disturbing. We're all eating Sodapop3's "humble pie."
Ocelot@AlexOfSpades here, played the alert today with Cassielah, @Buxom, Slice and Dice and a few other buddies several times. We did the entire fight in around 5 minutes, no one died, no one failed, no one glitched, nothing. 100% perfect runs.
I actually died once because i got sloppy and underestimated Cybermind's summons. But instead of being locked out like a noob, i used my Triumphant Recovery device which i bought from the Auction House before the alert. (Plan ahead, heroes!)
I dropped the belt, which i plan on gifting to a silver friend, and i'll keep on farming it. Cryptic, you've done an excellent job - the fight is fun, the puzzle keeps it interesting, the voice acting is good, everything is perfect.
Final Grade:8/10 - Very fun, original, aesthetically-pleasing. If it was longer and was a lair instead of an alert, it would be a 10.
For everyone complaining that the fight is too hard/it sucks: Stop being a noob. Get to 40 (which is easy), get Heroics (which is easy) and learn the difference between three basic colors (red, blue, yellow - which is easy). Eventhough its a "challenging" fight for Champs, its actually pretty easy compared to other mmo's (GW2, TSW) i've played. Grow a pair.
I *think-* Note I haven't tested this but based on past and present trends this is the most logical explanation I can think of based on what I've seen- if someone is standing in melee with him when the rain is coming down, he wont knock people around. In the runs I've done someone is almost always standing in melee with him, and the only time I've seen him use that move is when he didn't have a target for his hatred standing right in his face. Given mob AI and more recent trends it just seems like the most likely answer.
I'll take another crack at it later and see if I can't test out that theory, but it's hard since I can't go in solo and screw around.
That sounds very likely, actually. From talking with devs in the past, that fits with the design philosophy, and it would explain why I haven't run into this.
For everyone complaining that the fight is too hard/it sucks: Stop being a noob. Get to 40 (which is easy), get Heroics (which is easy) and learn the difference between three basic colors (red, blue, yellow - which is easy). Eventhough its a "challenging" fight for Champs, its actually pretty easy compared to other mmo's (GW2, TSW) i've played. Grow a pair.
Oh please, I have more 40's than most people have toons.
I got insta-gibed despite following the alert as it's supposed to be played.
Heck I read a guide on it, followed the playtest threads on it [couldn't playtest it cause I didn't seem to get on when the others were on].
I'm soooooo happy you had it easy.
The group I was with mowed our merry way through the mobs and walls*
Then.. dead end
So spare me.
*the walls btw are boring, it's cute but it's dull
Here we are now going to the West Side
Weapons in hand as we go for a ride
Some may come and some may stay
Watching out for a sunny day
Where there's love and darkness and my sidearm
In game as @forgemccain
That sounds very likely, actually. From talking with devs in the past, that fits with the design philosophy, and it would explain why I haven't run into this.
Might want a bit more variation in your testing groups then. Just saying
Here we are now going to the West Side
Weapons in hand as we go for a ride
Some may come and some may stay
Watching out for a sunny day
Where there's love and darkness and my sidearm
In game as @forgemccain
For everyone complaining that the fight is too hard/it sucks: Stop being a noob. Get to 40 (which is easy), get Heroics (which is easy) and learn the difference between three basic colors (red, blue, yellow - which is easy). Eventhough its a "challenging" fight for Champs, its actually pretty easy compared to other mmo's (GW2, TSW) i've played. Grow a pair.
Wow.
1) Had a 40
2) Had Legion
3) know the colours
but
1) didn't have a clue as to what to do with those colours.
2) Had two out of the five players quit before we even got to Cybermind
3) Have no control over the other players in a PUG
4) Telling people that are having problems or are expressing very legitimate concerns to "Grow a pair" is both condescending and extremely toxic to this community.
If this alert isn't possible to beat with a silver account (and I don't just mean certain archetypes, I mean with glass cannons like the Inferno or the Blade) then it's bad design and complaints are legitimate. I'm gold but I'm willing to bet in a PUG most of the people I'm playing with are going to be silver. If Cybermind can't be defeated with 5 level 6s then it's poor design. Bad design because if the difficulty is so high that you need level 40 gear to beat him then access should be limited. This is very basic game design here.
i dont get it. i have completed this alert a little over 20 times today, all pugs.
my builds are not super builds.
i am not some amazing wow raid veteran.
I figured out everything I had to do in the fight my first time in.
i can match colors and i can pay attention.
I think some people are just complaining to complain.
I was a salty bittervet too, but with this alert the salt is washing off.
If they keep doing stuff like this, I will be salt free in no time.
Glad you had a good time.
I did it about four times. The first and last times were a success. The second two we weren't able to get past the walls. The last time was pretty fun because I had a team that was having fun and was doing their best. (We also had two people with a rez power on the team ... one of which was pretty recharging.)
I think you need a fair amount of DPS to be able to get through it-- more so than a lot of the more casual players normally have reason to have.
The first two parts I enjoyed. This part, I just didn't have enough fun to justify the time investment I had to make to do it. Like Gravitar, it'll be something I'll probably only do in the future if a friend really wants to do it or people are asking for help and need just one more body to be able to run it.
{Withdrawn. Guilty of throwing a tantrum instead of changing tactics.}
Choose your enemies carefully, because they will define you / Make them interesting, because in some ways they will mind you
They're not there in the beginning, but when your story ends / Gonna last with you longer than your friends
I usually don't re/cross post but this should be noted.
The firewall portion amounts to something like eight or ten alert bosses in hit points in a 'you cant' shoot me now" rotation.
They heal. The mobs spawning in the middle heal.
If you do not have enough DPS to take down the firewalls, your whole team will be trapped in the firewall portion with no way out, no Socrates escape command, nothing but '"All five of us strangers who just made a team, lets log off!."
Its level 40 content made available for all levels and gives zero xp while running the mission.
None of the kills count for squat.
It is currently available to all...
Sigh do they have something against level gating?
My limited experience suggests that a good power build level 40 say a solo Teleiosaur build should be able to do this alone. It'll just take a looooong time!
A premade team of 40s with experience of the color gimmick - yes easily.
A PUG 40 group with a couple of experienced players or even just one - yes doable esp if the team listens. Hell maybe a level 35+ PUG.
My opinion based on limited experience is - gate it, it doesn't need fixing it needs gating. So too does Forum Malvanum need gating.
Don't know if this is relevant or not...
The seemingly abortive PTS thing about changing the way SKing works.
Possible that both FM and Cybermind are in their current state because the devs feel the new SKing will fix things?
_____________
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
The one who can't shut up formerly known as 4rksakes
About the @handle - it's a long story.
Profound quote.. "I'm not a complete idiot - several parts are missing."
That sounds very likely, actually. From talking with devs in the past, that fits with the design philosophy, and it would explain why I haven't run into this.
It is. I tested it and that's actually how it functions. I was (un)lucky enough to get a primarily ranged group that wasn't experienced in the alert and got a chance to test it.
Not only is this the case, but he'll refrain from using the attack even if the person standing next to him isn't his current agro target. Given this, the best course of action is, oddly enough, a ranged tank soaking his agro up with a melee DPS (or at least a ranged DPS standing in melee) to keep him from using force detonation.
I guess this'll have to be added to people's write ups and whatnot.
...I just recently realized something really disturbing. We're all eating Sodapop3's "humble pie."
It is currently available to all...
Sigh do they have something against level gating?
My limited experience suggests that a good power build level 40 say a solo Teleiosaur build should be able to do this alone. It'll just take a looooong time!
From what I've seen the alert has great potential, but two things, opening it up to everyone for some unknown reason, and not giving some sort of explanation of what to do really hurt this alert. Gating is a very simple solution that might solve a far bit of frustration low level players are experiencing.
I *think-* Note I haven't tested this but based on past and present trends this is the most logical explanation I can think of based on what I've seen- if someone is standing in melee with him when the rain is coming down, he wont knock people around. In the runs I've done someone is almost always standing in melee with him, and the only time I've seen him use that move is when he didn't have a target for his hatred standing right in his face. Given mob AI and more recent trends it just seems like the most likely answer.
I'll take another crack at it later and see if I can't test out that theory, but it's hard since I can't go in solo and screw around.
That sounds very likely, actually. From talking with devs in the past, that fits with the design philosophy, and it would explain why I haven't run into this.
Rewarding an easier fight if players have the guts to go melee with a boss that can wreck your face? Sounds like brilliant design to me.
I never noticed knocking happening to me or my team since I would always strive to go back to the center square even with my ranged toon. Now I know and now I'm especially happy that there are mechanics that are in place that make AI work differently based on where players are positioned other than just their current target.
He won't knock his targets as long as anyone is standing melee with him? Brilliant. I'm not being sarcastic either.
I usually don't re/cross post but this should be noted.
The firewall portion amounts to something like eight or ten alert bosses in hit points in a 'you cant' shoot me now" rotation.
They heal. The mobs spawning in the middle heal.
If you do not have enough DPS to take down the firewalls, your whole team will be trapped in the firewall portion with no way out, no Socrates escape command, nothing but '"All five of us strangers who just made a team, lets log off!."
In the run I ragequit earlier because the melee toons couldn't stay alive long enough to keep the knockbacks off me, the firewall section turned out to be easy:
One to tank the process mobs in the middle, while the other four whittle away the firewalls.
I was the tank in that run, and the only problem I had was my camera getting pushed between the firewalls and the room's walls when I'd get caught by a Force Eruption. Other than that, I was able to keep the other four players unmolested, and they did a good job of rolling from section to section.
Next time, I need to take my own advice from another thread, and tank at melee distance with ranged animations. :biggrin:
Choose your enemies carefully, because they will define you / Make them interesting, because in some ways they will mind you
They're not there in the beginning, but when your story ends / Gonna last with you longer than your friends
That sounds very likely, actually. From talking with devs in the past, that fits with the design philosophy, and it would explain why I haven't run into this.
Well that would solve one of my two complaints.
The 80% insta-death on knockback was getting a bit annoying, but if going toe-to-toe prevents that I'll not mind it so much.
The excessive sack of HPs he has is another matter.
Overall, I like it. Something to tell people, before engaging him, that engaging him will lock anyone not in the room out would be handy.
This is my Risian Corvette. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
1) didn't have a clue as to what to do with those colours.
2) Had two out of the five players quit before we even got to Cybermind
3) Have no control over the other players in a PUG
Ouch, this made me cringe. I'm sorry this was your first experience with Cybermind. I tried it with friends, and they're very experienced players who already knew all of Cybermind's tricks. It seemed quite easy, but we were in perfect cooperation.
If you see @AlexOfSpades in game, feel free to PM me, we can surely do it together!
4) Telling people that are having problems or are expressing very legitimate concerns to "Grow a pair" is both condescending and extremely toxic to this community.
Sorry, i just got so offended when i spent almost an hour doing the new Cybermind alert over and over and having so much fun, and when i leave zone chat is dedicating itself to describe how much it sucks. It got me really pissed to the point i got an infraction. (lol)
I guess i forgot to mention a thing that is also very important - perhaps more than being well geared - you need a full team of level 40 buddies. PUG's suck.
If this alert isn't possible to beat with a silver account (and I don't just mean certain archetypes, I mean with glass cannons like the Inferno or the Blade) then it's bad design and complaints are legitimate. I'm gold but I'm willing to bet in a PUG most of the people I'm playing with are going to be silver. If Cybermind can't be defeated with 5 level 6s then it's poor design. Bad design because if the difficulty is so high that you need level 40 gear to beat him then access should be limited. This is very basic game design here.
If Cybermind could be defeated by a team of level 6's, then he wouldnt be challenging for a team of level 40's. I believe Cryptic made a good move on making him level 40 focused (since the majority of the game is on the level cap and bored), but then they should gate it to level 35+. High leveled players are players who know how to play their characters already, and usually are more comitted to alerts.
I finished it with an archetype (i only play with AT's) but i recall taking some HEAVY hits from those summons - around 3600 damage or so. That's pretty stiff, specially taking into account that i have just 5100 health...
So here's a tip if you're Inferno, Blade or overall squishy: BRING HEALING DEVICES (Buy from Karneeki) and BRING REZ DEVICES (Servitor Serum, 3 recognition, or Triumphant Recovery, sold on AH for 10g).
We need to request that these kinds of alerts should be pushed in the category that Until Carrier Defense is in. Permanent and queued at any time. Make them gated to 35+ like Gravitar and put her in there too to save some screen space.
Then a daily reward added that gives you a random R5 and rarely R6 mod of any kind.
About Until Carrier Defense, when will it ever get worthy rewards? I love playing that thing! But its more or less a forgotten waste of gold.
I guess i forgot to mention a thing that is also very important - perhaps more than being well geared - you need a full team of level 40 buddies. PUG's suck.
If Cybermind could be defeated by a team of level 6's, then he wouldnt be challenging for a team of level 40's. I believe Cryptic made a good move on making him level 40 focused (since the majority of the game is on the level cap and bored), but then they should gate it to level 35+. High leveled players are players who know how to play their characters already, and usually are more comitted to alerts.
This I think is one of the two legitimate complaints: if it's balanced around 40s then don't let the 6s enter because you will get a full team of 5 of them. If you want to let the level 6s in, then why the heck is it balanced around 40s? This is a truly legitimate case of bad design.
The second is that even for level 40 content, 3 million HP is far too high. It's simply not fun.
I finished it with an archetype (i only play with AT's) but i recall taking some HEAVY hits from those summons - around 3600 damage or so. That's pretty stiff, specially taking into account that i have just 5100 health...
So here's a tip if you're Inferno, Blade or overall squishy: BRING HEALING DEVICES (Buy from Karneeki) and BRING REZ DEVICES (Servitor Serum, 3 recognition, or Triumphant Recovery, sold on AH for 10g).
Plan ahead people - dont underestimate Cyberdork!
Generally good advice. Not just for this alert.
Sadly, I find that the long cooldown on healing devices makes them almost but not quite useless for my ATs. I have them, and I use them. But they only give me an extra 5 seconds before I die. Amazingly, they don't recharge that fast. (nor should they, I just have terrible reflexes and almost never block on time)
All my freeforms dedicate a power to self-rez now. With the lockout mechanic I can't imagine not doing it. And I keep a stockpile of self-rez devices in my account bank for my ATs.
We need to request that these kinds of alerts should be pushed in the category that Until Carrier Defense is in. Permanent and queued at any time. Make them gated to 35+ like Gravitar and put her in there too to save some screen space.
Then a daily reward added that gives you a random R5 and rarely R6 mod of any kind.
About Until Carrier Defense, when will it ever get worthy rewards? I love playing that thing! But its more or less a forgotten waste of gold.
After several attempts, I've given up on this being PUGable, and since I'm not in a Supergroup, I guess it won't be content that I get to do. That would irritate me less if there were other content. One of the PUGs I was in, I died four times in the first room because people kept aggroing both groups, then dying and letting them reset. Another got to the Firewalls, at which point everyone kept attacking the mobs, no one the walls, so all the damage I was doing to them healed by the time they cycled around. When the mobs kept spawning, rather than listening to me on the chat channel, people just started dropping out of the group, which made the firewalls literally impossible.
So, as someone who generally defends Cryptic, I gotta say, giving me two fun missions I can run solo, then ending the story in an un-PUGable dungeon run is pretty not cool. I'm genuinely let down.
Ouch, this made me cringe. I'm sorry this was your first experience with Cybermind. I tried it with friends, and they're very experienced players who already knew all of Cybermind's tricks. It seemed quite easy, but we were in perfect cooperation.
If you see @AlexOfSpades in game, feel free to PM me, we can surely do it together!
Sorry, i just got so offended when i spent almost an hour doing the new Cybermind alert over and over and having so much fun, and when i leave zone chat is dedicating itself to describe how much it sucks. It got me really pissed to the point i got an infraction. (lol)
I guess i forgot to mention a thing that is also very important - perhaps more than being well geared - you need a full team of level 40 buddies. PUG's suck.
First of all thank you for responding civilly, I'm sure what some people said touched a nerve, but let's all try to remember people can disagree on these forums but things usually work better if we all try to stay friendly to each other and the moderators. Second I would like to reassure you that do understand that there have been quite a few negative comments on these forums as of late, and criticizing content (or lack of content) does seem to be a trend, and I agree that constantly seeing this would make people over sensitive to further complaints, especially if it seemed aimed at something you enjoyed . . . And lastly, I don't hate Cybermind yet. I do have some concerns though and this is why I'm on these forums.
If Cybermind could be defeated by a team of level 6's, then he wouldnt be challenging for a team of level 40's. I believe Cryptic made a good move on making him level 40 focused (since the majority of the game is on the level cap and bored), but then they should gate it to level 35+. High leveled players are players who know how to play their characters already, and usually are more comitted to alerts.
I'm not going to disagree here, but what I would say is that if this is really aimed at the 40s like Gravitar is, then why isn't it gated to level 35+? It seems like a very simple fix. Letting a couple of well built 40s get saddled with three level 6s isn't fair to anyone. The level 6s are going to be frustrated at being killed so easily, and the 40s are going to pissed off that they're having to carry the team.
I finished it with an archetype (i only play with AT's) but i recall taking some HEAVY hits from those summons - around 3600 damage or so. That's pretty stiff, specially taking into account that i have just 5100 health...
So here's a tip if you're Inferno, Blade or overall squishy: BRING HEALING DEVICES (Buy from Karneeki) and BRING REZ DEVICES (Servitor Serum, 3 recognition, or Triumphant Recovery, sold on AH for 10g).
Plan ahead people - dont underestimate Cyberdork!
Good advice, people should be carrying self heals even if you're not silver IMO, all of my toons have self heals as well as rebirth . . . but that has a two minute cool down so it's nice to plan ahead.
My other concern about this alert is that I really don't feel that they give you enough information. Quite a few people here seem to have figured out how to use the coloured pillars and squares on the first try . . . sadly I wasn't one them. I don't think it's good game design if you need to go to the online forums to figure this thing out. Ideally we should be given a clue, perhaps one of the doors needed the player to run into corresponding pillars prior to the boss fight. This would familiarize some of us slower learners with the process before we had to face being one shotted in a boss fight.
After several attempts, I've given up on this being PUGable, and since I'm not in a Supergroup, I guess it won't be content that I get to do. That would irritate me less if there were other content. One of the PUGs I was in, I died four times in the first room because people kept aggroing both groups, then dying and letting them reset. Another got to the Firewalls, at which point everyone kept attacking the mobs, no one the walls, so all the damage I was doing to them healed by the time they cycled around. When the mobs kept spawning, rather than listening to me on the chat channel, people just started dropping out of the group, which made the firewalls literally impossible.
So, as someone who generally defends Cryptic, I gotta say, giving me two fun missions I can run solo, then ending the story in an un-PUGable dungeon run is pretty not cool. I'm genuinely let down.
Here's what I liked so far:
1)cool new mobs
2)some nice costume pieces
3)interesting sets
4)while not great the first two missions did give us a bit more background, character motivation, and lore then Gravitar and Warlord ever did.
So hats off for that.
I'm thinking that this final mission could yet be saved with some minor tweaks.
I did Cybermind several times with a group of very-high DPS players and we really destroyed our way through.
Just did it with some other players right now, people having their first time (helping them out, explaining how it works, etc) and they werent exactly super high DPS - some of them werent even 40. Before, 3 million didnt seem much (specially with DW and 2 gun mojo) but with these guys (which represent the majority of players) i can agree that 3 million may be a little too much health.
Maybe if there was a gimmick to heal yourself during the fight (say, staying in the color-matching square heals you) it would make it easier for the squishies. Because i cant imagine doing all that fight with just 5000 hp and no heals at all. It would be really, really hardcore.
I was the tank in that run, and the only problem I had was my camera getting pushed between the firewalls and the room's walls when I'd get caught by a Force Eruption. Other than that, I was able to keep the other four players unmolested, and they did a good job of rolling from section to section.
And you say your original response to this was uncalled for.
It wasn't, it was the correct response. That camera issue is only but one really ill conceived bit of design as well, as there's quite a few more in that particular encounter. Curious, have you noticed yet that you can't build energy on the firewalls with your energy builder? Frustration really is the correct response to this sort of thing.
Also, imagine if you will, you were the one suited to dealing with the mobs in the middle the best, and the rest of your team wouldn't listen to you and just focus the damn firewalls. Take all the problems you ran into and multiply that by two. That's been one of my experiences with this. Now, take that and multiply it by 6 or more and you've got what a lowbie team full of ATs, probably with quite a few newbies, is going to experience.
...I just recently realized something really disturbing. We're all eating Sodapop3's "humble pie."
Hi, I'm posting this as an edit to my initial post on the front page of the thread, as well as here to respond with some practical feedback to improve the game:
Hi, just replayed this. In the spirit of being helpful to both the COmmunity and Cryptic, I'm listing my findings.
1. Firewall Segment: no energy building
During the Firewall segment, where we had to attack the walls as they changed to red, I found that the Energy Builder did not build energy. That was irrelevant to my Unleashed, who makes his own energy, but a hurdle for my Behemoth, who needed energy.
2. Cybermind Segment: obstruction in Cybermind's square
I understood the colour Simon Says game in theory, but in practice, this happened:
It was difficult to actually see the square. This mainly affects melee characters; they have to be close to Cybermind, and the crowding around him, with the different colour effects basically obscure the telltale colours.
3. Cybermind Segment: lag when the coloured tile should appear
I need to take a video to prove this, if it comes up again, but there seems to be lag when the colour appears. I was playing very careful of any colour changes. I was doing well and knew one was coming. Then suddenly, I see others moving off the square and I actually thought to myself "did they guess what the colour change will be?" Then I saw the colour change and I believe I saw it a second after they did.
Lag is lag, but since melee characters have to move the furthest back and forth, that slight lag has a substantial effect on gameplay, considering this portion also removes Travel Powers. I know it sounds weird, but having seen this 1st hand, I believe there was some lag between when others saw the colours and I did.
---
This is all said in a positive mindset, not nitpicking, but things I think should be considered.
Feedback is good, toxicity ain't. Keep it kosher, folks, had to do some cleaning.
Well, since my post was apparently one of the toxic posts, I'll repost my opinions now that I've actually played the thing (I'll admit it was a bit unfair to comment before trying it).
The first part was nice. Bunches of foes, kind of hard hitting, but nothing we couldn't handle.
Then we had the walls. I was the tanky guy in the group, so I took on the adds while the others dealt with the walls. A little tedious, as the walls really didn't change that often, and the adds weren't really a threat, but an adequate break from just hitting things.
Then we come to the boss. I'd read the thread, and listened to the advice, so I went in prepared. Got the blue buff and went to melee. Bam, oneshotted through block AND Unbreakable. I have almost 9000 health. Not as high as some I've seen, but nothing to sneeze at.
So, the team wipes and we go back to try again. Exact same result. Half the team quits. I go to do the same, and find I'm not allowed to. WHY was this put in place? You want to force people to quit the GAME? Bad enough you punish us for being defeated by an enemy all but guaranteed to defeat you, but you punish us further for just ENTERING the alert by making it impossible to LEAVE?
As I said before, this is just the kind of thing I've come to expect from this game lately. Nighthawk was just as bad.
I looked forward to this. I thought perhaps we were going to get Mechanon (who would have been a villain worthy of this level of challenge), but instead we get a silly sounding villain that marginalizes whole teams.
A large part of why many people play this is to have the sense of being powerful, a superhero. Making foes that are so vastly more powerful than we are destroys that sense, and takes away the fun.
Difficulty and fun are on a curve, guys. Too easy, and it's not much fun. Too hard, and it's not much fun. You have to find that balance point in the middle, and you're just nowhere near it.
Xaogarrent, I agree with practically every single thing you've said here. Kudos.
Once, I was simply called Mojo. Now, I'm forced into a new name, but don't be fooled, I'm the original STO Mojo!
This is 100% win if you understand how to do. Yes it takes time tho.
But... How can we get 2 silver recog? I defeat Cyber-Mind and got 3G but Mission doesn't finish. xD
I would actually have no problem at all with the difficulty if this were a 40 lair. I originally thought this was going to be a 40 only alert. Suggestions for level gating 35+ i approve of.
Hopefully this weekend I can run it with my SG and have an easier time.
Alert is far too much trouble for the reward. Others have run down the litany of sins it commits; for me, an encounter based on mobility that shuts off travel powers is so clearly the Wrong Thing that I can't imagine how it could come to pass.
Cyberlint doesn't move, so there's no real need of travelpowers in there.
The firewalls have acted weird couple of times. Healed allmost full on 1 rotation, even when there was bit over 1/4 health left.
Difficulty slider doesn't affect to this mission? Even if 1st one to enter mission has the diff. up to Elite?
CHAMPIONS ONLINE:Join Date: Apr 2008
And playing by myself since Aug 2009 Godtier: Lifetime Subscriber
And you say your original response to this was uncalled for.
My deleted complaint was about phase one of the Cybermind fight, not the firewalls. If there are no players in Cybermind's melee range, he pops off no-tell Force Detonation taps. Unless you're toon is a big sack of hit points, it's insta-death during the virus storms, and most ranged toons aren't carrying enough CON to survive.
Prime is a rangetank, so she's at least a medium sack of hit points, thanks to lots of CON mods, and she'd get knocked down to a sliver of health when she made it back to the safe square. Like I said, I have to fight from melee range next time, but that's less than ideal, especially when I have to take Orbital Cannon out of my rotation so everybody can see the center square's color.
I'm cranky because Cryptic either knows KB Res is broken, or won't explain to us why they don't think it is, and still rely on toons to have it for certain encounters. It's difficult enough to gain in the first place, since you have to either SS/gear STR, or SS CON and max the Resilient specialization in the CON tree. (When I realized KB Res was useless, I retconned out of CON to REC on Prime because power armor.) There are no mods or gear that give KB Res, which feels to me like a tacit admission that it's broken. And the magnitude scales are so off, it's still useless against ARGENT Grenade Spam from mundane mobs, let alone super villains.
Choose your enemies carefully, because they will define you / Make them interesting, because in some ways they will mind you
They're not there in the beginning, but when your story ends / Gonna last with you longer than your friends
After 13 runs (Yes I know some people have done 50+ runs already), I will say this: I think what makes the alert less attractive is the low drop rate. (Although I am yet to do 4 runs with Mentella)..
The mechanics are very fun and pretty easy to understand provided people read and listen.
Lunge and Reverse Lunge are nice additions to have to a build when fighting him.
I've had the best experience (survival wise) with AoRP and Electric Form during his storm phase.
Cybermind deals 2974 Particle Damage to you with Viral Storm. <-- Electric Form.
Cybermind deals 3074 Particle Damage to you with an Viral Storm. <-- AoRP (relatively low percentage here so Q_Q)
If drop rate was raised I think people would have more joy in running it.
That AND having the 3G reward upped to something like 30G. (Especially when you are a single blade toon having to solo it to the end ... >_>!!)
It's the old challenging vs. punishing problem (http://penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/when-difficult-is-fun), and with the huge power gaps present in CO (AT vs AT, and AT vs. Freeform) ... well you can see the results in this thread.
I'll toss in my 2 cents, though I'm not sure why as I doubt anything will get changed (even the bugs people have found)
-Round 1: instructions in cinematic do not match instructions for round 1 play (they seem more appropriate for round 2 and 4). Correct instructions are then givien during round 1, but no subtitles, and some times audio doesn't play.
-Round 1: as mentioned nock back mechanic vs. stand in one place mechanic are contradictory
-Round 1: I'm currently questioning if a meelee character without lunge (Unleashed) make it from meelee, to the colours, and back to meelee range, with time to spair. Shame on the devs for ploor play testing if not! (It's gotta be fairly close here with the timing)
-Round 2: spawns are a touch overpowered (spawn 2 twice, instead of 4 at once), or some AI needs to be added for "all 4 spawns may not target 1 player on spawning"
-Round 3: second colour matching sequence is unneeded, instead have spawn round eliminate the second 1/3 of the HP bar. This also fixes the too much HP problem.
-Round 4: Devs need to re-use a floor colour indicator here, or delay the attacks. Boss will often shift colours very late in growth sequence, or be miss coloured due to debuffs and ice cages. Thus people with low def/hp getting 1 shot at the end before they get the colour buff
- All Rounds: Negate some of the punishing behaviour of the alert by having the door open every round, or put in save points every round.
-Rewards: Toss in a bit of questionite in this and Forum M, as they are harder. While I'm at it Forum could even reward a few extra Silver Champ or Questionite for each *extra* round won after the very very vague "win point"
Also a few bugs with the firewall energy building, firewall shifiting too fast due to certain powers (Snarks Bane?) and one group we found that they started self healing due to another power (A de-aggro), one person even died and ended outside of the firewalls here. Plus the more than occasional person walking into the lights and not picking up buffs (Always check your status bar!)
If the devs want a challange program an "elite group" detector than adds difficulty (and rewards) for those preformed groups with all users on elite. This way max'd out freeforms get their kicks.
I did Cybermind several times with a group of very-high DPS players and we really destroyed our way through.
Just did it with some other players right now, people having their first time (helping them out, explaining how it works, etc) and they werent exactly super high DPS - some of them werent even 40. Before, 3 million didnt seem much (specially with DW and 2 gun mojo) but with these guys (which represent the majority of players) i can agree that 3 million may be a little too much health.
Maybe if there was a gimmick to heal yourself during the fight (say, staying in the color-matching square heals you) it would make it easier for the squishies. Because i cant imagine doing all that fight with just 5000 hp and no heals at all. It would be really, really hardcore.
For reference, 3 million is 12% more HP than Gravitar has but you have half as many people pounding on Cybermind and you might have ATs and low levels in the group.
There's no ifs ands or buts about it. 3 million is too high. Everyone would go nuts if they suddenly made gravitar 5-man teams and increased her HP at the same time.
It's normal that firewalls keep healing themselves and never fall??
It is normal that they heal yes. So do the mobs that spawn in the middle of the room.
If you can't hurt them fast enough they won't go down. This means your team doesn't have enough damage to win. You need to use the /killme command to get out of combat and abandon the alert.
Cyberlint doesn't move, so there's no real need of travelpowers in there.
Difficulty slider doesn't affect to this mission? Even if 1st one to enter mission has the diff. up to Elite?
Melee types have a hard time getting from cyber to the pillar and back to cyber in time without travel powers. Thus far I have about a 50-50 track record. Ranged have a significantly shorter travel time so they have no problems.
On the difficulty slider, I pray that it does not and never does affect alter difficulties. They should be fixed. If you let it change difficulty I can easily see it being used to grief by people joining fast on elite difficulty then abandoning the alert, screwing over people who are unable to handle that challenge.
Melee types have a hard time getting from cyber to the pillar and back to cyber in time without travel powers. Thus far I have about a 50-50 track record. Ranged have a significantly shorter travel time so they have no problems.
I noticed with my melee that if i run all the way to the pillar then all the way back, there's a good chance i'll fail (about 40%) and die on the way. However, if i lunge my way closer i can say that its 100% success rate.
Melees: Lunge towards Cybermind after getting the buff.
My one complaint on the Alert is that Cybermind's health is rather excessive. Perhaps something more reasonable, as this Alert is not level-gated and there is the possibility of a (or several!) poor level 6 dragging down the team's DPS.
As far as the rest, I liked it. Firewalls were kind of wonky, but that's noted elsewhere, and the fight's a refreshing change from the usual tank-and-spank. Glad to have something that gives my min-maxed single-blade character a challenge and makes me pay attention. I'd be glad to see more stuff like this.
And I'm completely in agreement: this must be level-gated. 30 at the very minimum.
To those of you complaining it's too hard: what? I figured out what to do on the second try. Are you certain the problem does not lie on your end?
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
[thread=139701]My old, old guide for Ego Blades. Updated for On: Alert.[/thread]
[thread=154211]The Costume Contest Schedule. Stay up-to-date without having to log in![/thread]
I noticed with my melee that if i run all the way to the pillar then all the way back, there's a good chance i'll fail (about 40%) and die on the way. However, if i lunge my way closer i can say that its 100% success rate.
Melees: Lunge towards Cybermind after getting the buff.
Unleashed don't get a lunge. And that one's my best character for this.
My level 40 freeform builds with one exception are pretty much gimpier than a level 20 with no gear equipped. That one non-gimp is solidly survivable but only 2/3 the damage of the unleashed. And also has no lunge. >.<
Luckily it has a self-rez and I think 4 stacks of servitor serum. Heh.
I did use my devastator for one run and the lunge makes all the difference in the world. Still died because devastators have no heals and sad defenses. But at least I could get there to smack him around before dying.
the huge power gaps present in CO ... well you can see the results in this thread.
I have not played the alert, but this is a fundamental basis of what is wrong in Champions Online as a video game. Beyond the business practices this game fails to deliver on the one of the most basic fundamentals of gaming.
People who have the DPS/Tank model will constantly say "I had no problem with the game's combat" because they are supported in the game mechanics. If this was the intent of the combat model of this game (or any modern MMO) then there wouldn't be as much disparity between player experiences. I really think they'd be better served to stop pretending to be otherwise and simply force all players into the DPS/Tank model. Unfortunately that is not a game I would play (but it is a game many others will).
Be the hero you want to be could have been executed so that general effectiveness was standardized. The original combat system did much of this.. The MASSIVE increase in stat numbers, decimation of combat systems (stealth, crowd control, cooldown) and countless other factors have been eroded away from the "game". The visual customization is still there but for "challenging combat" this game will always miss the mark unless/until they fix or remove combat customization.. like they tried to do with vehicles.
I dub thee- Teela brown. have you read ringworld by larry niven? :rolleyes:
Would have to be to solo that on a Single Blade AT.
Aaaaaah Teela Brown. One of the best written characters in sci-fi, or possibly anything for that matter. Who knew supernaturally good luck could work against you?
...I just recently realized something really disturbing. We're all eating Sodapop3's "humble pie."
Comments
At least a few people here get it. Kudos to them, anyway.
...I just recently realized something really disturbing. We're all eating Sodapop3's "humble pie."
He's thrown it at me every single time I've fought him, and it takes at least one tick of the rain to get back into the square. If he happens to be aiming at you with is hits, you'd best have some extra CON, +Health, or a good chunk of self-healing going on... and this is after you've got the color mechanics down well.
Yeah, that's why nobody ever queues for nemesis smash alerts, but they line up around the block to do therakiel's temple! It's not easy content that people won't play again, its boring content that people only play until they've got everything they want. Being locked out of a 10+ minute fight is boring, I imagine... so is being killed repeatedly after doing everything right, solely because you lack enough KB resistance or health to soak patently unavoidable damage. No doubt all the people who are quitting the alert are just logging off to sit there shaking about how AWESOME it is, so they'll come back, buy some cosmic keys, and do it all over again!
If you want new content to increase interest in the game, make it fun for everybody.
I think that the squares that light up for ranged tend to be facing the appropriate color as well... It'll be one corner and one middle block, and the middle block was, the times I kept track, facing the color that matched it. I don't know if there's any method to guess what the center tile is, though.
Red/Green is the most common form of colorblindness... but Red/Blue is second. Probably wouldn't hurt for it to throw up a bit of text on the screen, or possibly have symbols added to the squares and color columns.
I'll take another crack at it later and see if I can't test out that theory, but it's hard since I can't go in solo and screw around.
...I just recently realized something really disturbing. We're all eating Sodapop3's "humble pie."
I actually died once because i got sloppy and underestimated Cybermind's summons. But instead of being locked out like a noob, i used my Triumphant Recovery device which i bought from the Auction House before the alert. (Plan ahead, heroes!)
I dropped the belt, which i plan on gifting to a silver friend, and i'll keep on farming it. Cryptic, you've done an excellent job - the fight is fun, the puzzle keeps it interesting, the voice acting is good, everything is perfect.
Final Grade:8/10 - Very fun, original, aesthetically-pleasing. If it was longer and was a lair instead of an alert, it would be a 10.
For everyone complaining that the fight is too hard/it sucks: Stop being a noob. Get to 40 (which is easy), get Heroics (which is easy) and learn the difference between three basic colors (red, blue, yellow - which is easy). Eventhough its a "challenging" fight for Champs, its actually pretty easy compared to other mmo's (GW2, TSW) i've played. Grow a pair.
That sounds very likely, actually. From talking with devs in the past, that fits with the design philosophy, and it would explain why I haven't run into this.
Oh please, I have more 40's than most people have toons.
I got insta-gibed despite following the alert as it's supposed to be played.
Heck I read a guide on it, followed the playtest threads on it [couldn't playtest it cause I didn't seem to get on when the others were on].
I'm soooooo happy you had it easy.
The group I was with mowed our merry way through the mobs and walls*
Then.. dead end
So spare me.
*the walls btw are boring, it's cute but it's dull
Here we are now going to the West Side
Weapons in hand as we go for a ride
Some may come and some may stay
Watching out for a sunny day
Where there's love and darkness and my sidearm
In game as @forgemccain
Might want a bit more variation in your testing groups then. Just saying
Here we are now going to the West Side
Weapons in hand as we go for a ride
Some may come and some may stay
Watching out for a sunny day
Where there's love and darkness and my sidearm
In game as @forgemccain
my builds are not super builds.
i am not some amazing wow raid veteran.
I figured out everything I had to do in the fight my first time in.
i can match colors and i can pay attention.
I think some people are just complaining to complain.
I was a salty bittervet too, but with this alert the salt is washing off.
If they keep doing stuff like this, I will be salt free in no time.
My super cool CC build and how to use it.
Wow.
1) Had a 40
2) Had Legion
3) know the colours
but
1) didn't have a clue as to what to do with those colours.
2) Had two out of the five players quit before we even got to Cybermind
3) Have no control over the other players in a PUG
4) Telling people that are having problems or are expressing very legitimate concerns to "Grow a pair" is both condescending and extremely toxic to this community.
If this alert isn't possible to beat with a silver account (and I don't just mean certain archetypes, I mean with glass cannons like the Inferno or the Blade) then it's bad design and complaints are legitimate. I'm gold but I'm willing to bet in a PUG most of the people I'm playing with are going to be silver. If Cybermind can't be defeated with 5 level 6s then it's poor design. Bad design because if the difficulty is so high that you need level 40 gear to beat him then access should be limited. This is very basic game design here.
Glad you had a good time.
I did it about four times. The first and last times were a success. The second two we weren't able to get past the walls. The last time was pretty fun because I had a team that was having fun and was doing their best. (We also had two people with a rez power on the team ... one of which was pretty recharging.)
I think you need a fair amount of DPS to be able to get through it-- more so than a lot of the more casual players normally have reason to have.
The first two parts I enjoyed. This part, I just didn't have enough fun to justify the time investment I had to make to do it. Like Gravitar, it'll be something I'll probably only do in the future if a friend really wants to do it or people are asking for help and need just one more body to be able to run it.
They're not there in the beginning, but when your story ends / Gonna last with you longer than your friends
The firewall portion amounts to something like eight or ten alert bosses in hit points in a 'you cant' shoot me now" rotation.
They heal. The mobs spawning in the middle heal.
If you do not have enough DPS to take down the firewalls, your whole team will be trapped in the firewall portion with no way out, no Socrates escape command, nothing but '"All five of us strangers who just made a team, lets log off!."
Its level 40 content made available for all levels and gives zero xp while running the mission.
None of the kills count for squat.
Sigh do they have something against level gating?
My limited experience suggests that a good power build level 40 say a solo Teleiosaur build should be able to do this alone. It'll just take a looooong time!
A premade team of 40s with experience of the color gimmick - yes easily.
A PUG 40 group with a couple of experienced players or even just one - yes doable esp if the team listens. Hell maybe a level 35+ PUG.
My opinion based on limited experience is - gate it, it doesn't need fixing it needs gating. So too does Forum Malvanum need gating.
Don't know if this is relevant or not...
The seemingly abortive PTS thing about changing the way SKing works.
Possible that both FM and Cybermind are in their current state because the devs feel the new SKing will fix things?
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
The one who can't shut up formerly known as 4rksakes
About the @handle - it's a long story.
Profound quote.. "I'm not a complete idiot - several parts are missing."
It is. I tested it and that's actually how it functions. I was (un)lucky enough to get a primarily ranged group that wasn't experienced in the alert and got a chance to test it.
Not only is this the case, but he'll refrain from using the attack even if the person standing next to him isn't his current agro target. Given this, the best course of action is, oddly enough, a ranged tank soaking his agro up with a melee DPS (or at least a ranged DPS standing in melee) to keep him from using force detonation.
I guess this'll have to be added to people's write ups and whatnot.
...I just recently realized something really disturbing. We're all eating Sodapop3's "humble pie."
From what I've seen the alert has great potential, but two things, opening it up to everyone for some unknown reason, and not giving some sort of explanation of what to do really hurt this alert. Gating is a very simple solution that might solve a far bit of frustration low level players are experiencing.
Rewarding an easier fight if players have the guts to go melee with a boss that can wreck your face? Sounds like brilliant design to me.
I never noticed knocking happening to me or my team since I would always strive to go back to the center square even with my ranged toon. Now I know and now I'm especially happy that there are mechanics that are in place that make AI work differently based on where players are positioned other than just their current target.
He won't knock his targets as long as anyone is standing melee with him? Brilliant. I'm not being sarcastic either.
In the run I ragequit earlier because the melee toons couldn't stay alive long enough to keep the knockbacks off me, the firewall section turned out to be easy:
One to tank the process mobs in the middle, while the other four whittle away the firewalls.
I was the tank in that run, and the only problem I had was my camera getting pushed between the firewalls and the room's walls when I'd get caught by a Force Eruption. Other than that, I was able to keep the other four players unmolested, and they did a good job of rolling from section to section.
Next time, I need to take my own advice from another thread, and tank at melee distance with ranged animations. :biggrin:
They're not there in the beginning, but when your story ends / Gonna last with you longer than your friends
Well that would solve one of my two complaints.
The 80% insta-death on knockback was getting a bit annoying, but if going toe-to-toe prevents that I'll not mind it so much.
The excessive sack of HPs he has is another matter.
Overall, I like it. Something to tell people, before engaging him, that engaging him will lock anyone not in the room out would be handy.
Ouch, this made me cringe. I'm sorry this was your first experience with Cybermind. I tried it with friends, and they're very experienced players who already knew all of Cybermind's tricks. It seemed quite easy, but we were in perfect cooperation.
If you see @AlexOfSpades in game, feel free to PM me, we can surely do it together!
Sorry, i just got so offended when i spent almost an hour doing the new Cybermind alert over and over and having so much fun, and when i leave zone chat is dedicating itself to describe how much it sucks. It got me really pissed to the point i got an infraction. (lol)
I guess i forgot to mention a thing that is also very important - perhaps more than being well geared - you need a full team of level 40 buddies. PUG's suck.
If Cybermind could be defeated by a team of level 6's, then he wouldnt be challenging for a team of level 40's. I believe Cryptic made a good move on making him level 40 focused (since the majority of the game is on the level cap and bored), but then they should gate it to level 35+. High leveled players are players who know how to play their characters already, and usually are more comitted to alerts.
I finished it with an archetype (i only play with AT's) but i recall taking some HEAVY hits from those summons - around 3600 damage or so. That's pretty stiff, specially taking into account that i have just 5100 health...
So here's a tip if you're Inferno, Blade or overall squishy: BRING HEALING DEVICES (Buy from Karneeki) and BRING REZ DEVICES (Servitor Serum, 3 recognition, or Triumphant Recovery, sold on AH for 10g).
Plan ahead people - dont underestimate Cyberdork!
Then a daily reward added that gives you a random R5 and rarely R6 mod of any kind.
About Until Carrier Defense, when will it ever get worthy rewards? I love playing that thing! But its more or less a forgotten waste of gold.
The second is that even for level 40 content, 3 million HP is far too high. It's simply not fun.
Generally good advice. Not just for this alert.
Sadly, I find that the long cooldown on healing devices makes them almost but not quite useless for my ATs. I have them, and I use them. But they only give me an extra 5 seconds before I die. Amazingly, they don't recharge that fast.
All my freeforms dedicate a power to self-rez now. With the lockout mechanic I can't imagine not doing it. And I keep a stockpile of self-rez devices in my account bank for my ATs.
Excellent idea.
So, as someone who generally defends Cryptic, I gotta say, giving me two fun missions I can run solo, then ending the story in an un-PUGable dungeon run is pretty not cool. I'm genuinely let down.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
I'm not going to disagree here, but what I would say is that if this is really aimed at the 40s like Gravitar is, then why isn't it gated to level 35+? It seems like a very simple fix. Letting a couple of well built 40s get saddled with three level 6s isn't fair to anyone. The level 6s are going to be frustrated at being killed so easily, and the 40s are going to pissed off that they're having to carry the team.
Good advice, people should be carrying self heals even if you're not silver IMO, all of my toons have self heals as well as rebirth . . . but that has a two minute cool down so it's nice to plan ahead.
My other concern about this alert is that I really don't feel that they give you enough information. Quite a few people here seem to have figured out how to use the coloured pillars and squares on the first try . . . sadly I wasn't one them. I don't think it's good game design if you need to go to the online forums to figure this thing out. Ideally we should be given a clue, perhaps one of the doors needed the player to run into corresponding pillars prior to the boss fight. This would familiarize some of us slower learners with the process before we had to face being one shotted in a boss fight.
Dino pets also run deep into the Cybermind room in after spawning locking anyone out who was not fast enough.
Nailed to the ground doesn't work on probes.
Here's what I liked so far:
1)cool new mobs
2)some nice costume pieces
3)interesting sets
4)while not great the first two missions did give us a bit more background, character motivation, and lore then Gravitar and Warlord ever did.
So hats off for that.
I'm thinking that this final mission could yet be saved with some minor tweaks.
Just did it with some other players right now, people having their first time (helping them out, explaining how it works, etc) and they werent exactly super high DPS - some of them werent even 40. Before, 3 million didnt seem much (specially with DW and 2 gun mojo) but with these guys (which represent the majority of players) i can agree that 3 million may be a little too much health.
Maybe if there was a gimmick to heal yourself during the fight (say, staying in the color-matching square heals you) it would make it easier for the squishies. Because i cant imagine doing all that fight with just 5000 hp and no heals at all. It would be really, really hardcore.
And you say your original response to this was uncalled for.
It wasn't, it was the correct response. That camera issue is only but one really ill conceived bit of design as well, as there's quite a few more in that particular encounter. Curious, have you noticed yet that you can't build energy on the firewalls with your energy builder? Frustration really is the correct response to this sort of thing.
Also, imagine if you will, you were the one suited to dealing with the mobs in the middle the best, and the rest of your team wouldn't listen to you and just focus the damn firewalls. Take all the problems you ran into and multiply that by two. That's been one of my experiences with this. Now, take that and multiply it by 6 or more and you've got what a lowbie team full of ATs, probably with quite a few newbies, is going to experience.
...I just recently realized something really disturbing. We're all eating Sodapop3's "humble pie."
Hi, just replayed this. In the spirit of being helpful to both the COmmunity and Cryptic, I'm listing my findings.
1. Firewall Segment: no energy building
During the Firewall segment, where we had to attack the walls as they changed to red, I found that the Energy Builder did not build energy. That was irrelevant to my Unleashed, who makes his own energy, but a hurdle for my Behemoth, who needed energy.
2. Cybermind Segment: obstruction in Cybermind's square
I understood the colour Simon Says game in theory, but in practice, this happened:
It was difficult to actually see the square. This mainly affects melee characters; they have to be close to Cybermind, and the crowding around him, with the different colour effects basically obscure the telltale colours.
3. Cybermind Segment: lag when the coloured tile should appear
I need to take a video to prove this, if it comes up again, but there seems to be lag when the colour appears. I was playing very careful of any colour changes. I was doing well and knew one was coming. Then suddenly, I see others moving off the square and I actually thought to myself "did they guess what the colour change will be?" Then I saw the colour change and I believe I saw it a second after they did.
Lag is lag, but since melee characters have to move the furthest back and forth, that slight lag has a substantial effect on gameplay, considering this portion also removes Travel Powers. I know it sounds weird, but having seen this 1st hand, I believe there was some lag between when others saw the colours and I did.
---
This is all said in a positive mindset, not nitpicking, but things I think should be considered.
More action at Champions Online Comics @ http://co-comics.webs.com
Well, since my post was apparently one of the toxic posts, I'll repost my opinions now that I've actually played the thing (I'll admit it was a bit unfair to comment before trying it).
The first part was nice. Bunches of foes, kind of hard hitting, but nothing we couldn't handle.
Then we had the walls. I was the tanky guy in the group, so I took on the adds while the others dealt with the walls. A little tedious, as the walls really didn't change that often, and the adds weren't really a threat, but an adequate break from just hitting things.
Then we come to the boss. I'd read the thread, and listened to the advice, so I went in prepared. Got the blue buff and went to melee. Bam, oneshotted through block AND Unbreakable. I have almost 9000 health. Not as high as some I've seen, but nothing to sneeze at.
So, the team wipes and we go back to try again. Exact same result. Half the team quits. I go to do the same, and find I'm not allowed to. WHY was this put in place? You want to force people to quit the GAME? Bad enough you punish us for being defeated by an enemy all but guaranteed to defeat you, but you punish us further for just ENTERING the alert by making it impossible to LEAVE?
As I said before, this is just the kind of thing I've come to expect from this game lately. Nighthawk was just as bad.
I looked forward to this. I thought perhaps we were going to get Mechanon (who would have been a villain worthy of this level of challenge), but instead we get a silly sounding villain that marginalizes whole teams.
A large part of why many people play this is to have the sense of being powerful, a superhero. Making foes that are so vastly more powerful than we are destroys that sense, and takes away the fun.
Difficulty and fun are on a curve, guys. Too easy, and it's not much fun. Too hard, and it's not much fun. You have to find that balance point in the middle, and you're just nowhere near it.
Xaogarrent, I agree with practically every single thing you've said here. Kudos.
Crafting, Exploration and Interaction as it should be:
http://sto-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?t=1108521
But... How can we get 2 silver recog? I defeat Cyber-Mind and got 3G but Mission doesn't finish. xD
Hopefully this weekend I can run it with my SG and have an easier time.
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@Benevon
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The firewalls have acted weird couple of times. Healed allmost full on 1 rotation, even when there was bit over 1/4 health left.
Difficulty slider doesn't affect to this mission? Even if 1st one to enter mission has the diff. up to Elite?
And playing by myself since Aug 2009
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My deleted complaint was about phase one of the Cybermind fight, not the firewalls. If there are no players in Cybermind's melee range, he pops off no-tell Force Detonation taps. Unless you're toon is a big sack of hit points, it's insta-death during the virus storms, and most ranged toons aren't carrying enough CON to survive.
Prime is a rangetank, so she's at least a medium sack of hit points, thanks to lots of CON mods, and she'd get knocked down to a sliver of health when she made it back to the safe square. Like I said, I have to fight from melee range next time, but that's less than ideal, especially when I have to take Orbital Cannon out of my rotation so everybody can see the center square's color.
I'm cranky because Cryptic either knows KB Res is broken, or won't explain to us why they don't think it is, and still rely on toons to have it for certain encounters. It's difficult enough to gain in the first place, since you have to either SS/gear STR, or SS CON and max the Resilient specialization in the CON tree. (When I realized KB Res was useless, I retconned out of CON to REC on Prime because power armor.) There are no mods or gear that give KB Res, which feels to me like a tacit admission that it's broken. And the magnitude scales are so off, it's still useless against ARGENT Grenade Spam from mundane mobs, let alone super villains.
They're not there in the beginning, but when your story ends / Gonna last with you longer than your friends
The mechanics are very fun and pretty easy to understand provided people read and listen.
Lunge and Reverse Lunge are nice additions to have to a build when fighting him.
I've had the best experience (survival wise) with AoRP and Electric Form during his storm phase.
Cybermind deals 2974 Particle Damage to you with Viral Storm. <-- Electric Form.
Cybermind deals 3074 Particle Damage to you with an Viral Storm. <-- AoRP (relatively low percentage here so Q_Q)
If drop rate was raised I think people would have more joy in running it.
That AND having the 3G reward upped to something like 30G. (Especially when you are a single blade toon having to solo it to the end ... >_>!!)
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I'll toss in my 2 cents, though I'm not sure why as I doubt anything will get changed (even the bugs people have found)
-Round 1: instructions in cinematic do not match instructions for round 1 play (they seem more appropriate for round 2 and 4). Correct instructions are then givien during round 1, but no subtitles, and some times audio doesn't play.
-Round 1: as mentioned nock back mechanic vs. stand in one place mechanic are contradictory
-Round 1: I'm currently questioning if a meelee character without lunge (Unleashed) make it from meelee, to the colours, and back to meelee range, with time to spair. Shame on the devs for ploor play testing if not! (It's gotta be fairly close here with the timing)
-Round 2: spawns are a touch overpowered (spawn 2 twice, instead of 4 at once), or some AI needs to be added for "all 4 spawns may not target 1 player on spawning"
-Round 3: second colour matching sequence is unneeded, instead have spawn round eliminate the second 1/3 of the HP bar. This also fixes the too much HP problem.
-Round 4: Devs need to re-use a floor colour indicator here, or delay the attacks. Boss will often shift colours very late in growth sequence, or be miss coloured due to debuffs and ice cages. Thus people with low def/hp getting 1 shot at the end before they get the colour buff
- All Rounds: Negate some of the punishing behaviour of the alert by having the door open every round, or put in save points every round.
-Rewards: Toss in a bit of questionite in this and Forum M, as they are harder. While I'm at it Forum could even reward a few extra Silver Champ or Questionite for each *extra* round won after the very very vague "win point"
Also a few bugs with the firewall energy building, firewall shifiting too fast due to certain powers (Snarks Bane?) and one group we found that they started self healing due to another power (A de-aggro), one person even died and ended outside of the firewalls here. Plus the more than occasional person walking into the lights and not picking up buffs (Always check your status bar!)
If the devs want a challange program an "elite group" detector than adds difficulty (and rewards) for those preformed groups with all users on elite. This way max'd out freeforms get their kicks.
For reference, 3 million is 12% more HP than Gravitar has but you have half as many people pounding on Cybermind and you might have ATs and low levels in the group.
There's no ifs ands or buts about it. 3 million is too high. Everyone would go nuts if they suddenly made gravitar 5-man teams and increased her HP at the same time.
It is normal that they heal yes. So do the mobs that spawn in the middle of the room.
If you can't hurt them fast enough they won't go down. This means your team doesn't have enough damage to win. You need to use the /killme command to get out of combat and abandon the alert.
Melee types have a hard time getting from cyber to the pillar and back to cyber in time without travel powers. Thus far I have about a 50-50 track record. Ranged have a significantly shorter travel time so they have no problems.
On the difficulty slider, I pray that it does not and never does affect alter difficulties. They should be fixed. If you let it change difficulty I can easily see it being used to grief by people joining fast on elite difficulty then abandoning the alert, screwing over people who are unable to handle that challenge.
I noticed with my melee that if i run all the way to the pillar then all the way back, there's a good chance i'll fail (about 40%) and die on the way. However, if i lunge my way closer i can say that its 100% success rate.
Melees: Lunge towards Cybermind after getting the buff.
As far as the rest, I liked it. Firewalls were kind of wonky, but that's noted elsewhere, and the fight's a refreshing change from the usual tank-and-spank. Glad to have something that gives my min-maxed single-blade character a challenge and makes me pay attention. I'd be glad to see more stuff like this.
And I'm completely in agreement: this must be level-gated. 30 at the very minimum.
To those of you complaining it's too hard: what? I figured out what to do on the second try. Are you certain the problem does not lie on your end?
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[thread=139701]My old, old guide for Ego Blades. Updated for On: Alert.[/thread]
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Unleashed don't get a lunge. And that one's my best character for this.
My level 40 freeform builds with one exception are pretty much gimpier than a level 20 with no gear equipped. That one non-gimp is solidly survivable but only 2/3 the damage of the unleashed. And also has no lunge. >.<
Luckily it has a self-rez and I think 4 stacks of servitor serum. Heh.
I did use my devastator for one run and the lunge makes all the difference in the world. Still died because devastators have no heals and sad defenses. But at least I could get there to smack him around before dying.
I have not played the alert, but this is a fundamental basis of what is wrong in Champions Online as a video game. Beyond the business practices this game fails to deliver on the one of the most basic fundamentals of gaming.
People who have the DPS/Tank model will constantly say "I had no problem with the game's combat" because they are supported in the game mechanics. If this was the intent of the combat model of this game (or any modern MMO) then there wouldn't be as much disparity between player experiences. I really think they'd be better served to stop pretending to be otherwise and simply force all players into the DPS/Tank model. Unfortunately that is not a game I would play (but it is a game many others will).
Be the hero you want to be could have been executed so that general effectiveness was standardized. The original combat system did much of this.. The MASSIVE increase in stat numbers, decimation of combat systems (stealth, crowd control, cooldown) and countless other factors have been eroded away from the "game". The visual customization is still there but for "challenging combat" this game will always miss the mark unless/until they fix or remove combat customization.. like they tried to do with vehicles.
Would have to be to solo that on a Single Blade AT.
Aaaaaah Teela Brown. One of the best written characters in sci-fi, or possibly anything for that matter. Who knew supernaturally good luck could work against you?
...I just recently realized something really disturbing. We're all eating Sodapop3's "humble pie."