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Inconsistent difficulty...?

SystemSystem Member, NoReporting Posts: 178,019 Arc User
As my Lt Cmdr, I jumped into an old mission (6 levels below my current level) set on Advanced. In the first fight, there were 2 Klingon Swordmasters and 2-3 Warriors...

...and they killed my entire away team twice in less than 1 minute. ...wtf? o.O

Ok, so first let's look at the gear I was using. Every member of the team had Mk IV body armor, personal shield, and weapon - most of those being blues or greens, and all of them had hypos/charges and a dual-buff tribble (damage/regen). So it's not the gear...

Then I was thinking about what I had actually run with this difficulty setting: every mission as a Lt Cmdr so far (so roughly every mission for 8 levels)...

Then I thought about how often I die on ground missions: maybe once a rank, and that is more often because I am just not paying attention than anything else...

...so why then would these enemies suddenly be so overpowering? In 8 levels of using this difficulty, I had yet to die. My gear isn't lacking, my away team isn't so weak that if I don't micromanage them they should be instantly wiped out, and I know that my own ability is fine seeing that I rarely ever come close to dying let alone actually die.

So why would this one group, this first group at the beginning of the mission, just feel like I was taking on enemies that were 20 levels above me out of nowhere...?

Anyone else had this happen to them? By the way, this is the only time this has happened, before or since. So maybe just one mission out of the blue?
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2010
    probably due to pistols.... Elite -> dual-pistol wielding enemies -> death in a few seconds/minute.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2010
    Not playing on Elite (actually said Advanced in the post), and I don't remember the Warriors using dual pistols. I know that the Swordmasters couldn't be held or stunned and just walked up and 1- or 2-shotted anyone they attacked.

    ...yup, a -6 Swordmaster 2-shotting a character wearing greens and blues... seems a bit off to me.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2010
    WooShoo wrote: »
    Not playing on Elite (actually said Advanced in the post), and I don't remember the Warriors using dual pistols. I know that the Swordmasters couldn't be held or stunned and just walked up and 1- or 2-shotted anyone they attacked.

    ...yup, a -6 Swordmaster 2-shotting a character wearing greens and blues... seems a bit off to me.

    Swordmasters use dual pistols. When they're not in melee.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2010
    i do know the close combat stuff bypasses your shield, but i also encountered massive disparity with the space missions and ground missions to the point where i couldnt actually progress and had to instead Ninja the objectives.

    Came away from the fight with 9 critical injuries because it mattered not if i had turrets up or shields the mobs would literally tear ALL my shield away with one hit and that is a purple. My team died in seconds.

    I mean i wanted challenging but i would agree the damage is inconsistant especially from aoeing spawn summoning non stoppables.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2010
    WooShoo wrote: »
    ... I don't remember the Warriors using dual pistols.

    You know, as opposed to Swordmasters, which in both of my posts were mentioned as separate types of enemies.

    (wasn't trying to be an TRIBBLE with that, but it seems like people aren't reading the posts...)
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2010
    Thanks Awarkle, just wanted to be sure it wasn't just me.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2010
    WooShoo wrote: »
    You know, as opposed to Swordmasters, which in both of my posts were mentioned as separate types of enemies.

    (wasn't trying to be an TRIBBLE with that, but it seems like people aren't reading the posts...)

    Swordmasters use the dual pistols. Swordmasters are the ones helping to instakill you. It's a well feedbacked problem with the settings. And the devs know about it.

    I'm not being an TRIBBLE here either when I let you know that you're a little late to this particular party.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2010
    I can handle rifles or melee(just run away or use skills to control them) or other ranged weapons, even borgs on elite... but pistols... ouch.

    I saw an ensign running at me dual pistol blazing, tic-> shield gone , tic-> dead. Soon after, party lies dead and broken with critical and major injuries.

    By the way, Klingon Swordsmasters use dual pistols when running towards you.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2010
    I don't feel the need to live on the forums, and until they make the search feature viable, people will keep asking with new threads. Also, by forming your statement similar to mine (not being an TRIBBLE), you do come off that way if for no other reason than it sounds mocking. I added that as an edit to my post because it was rude for me to go off like that when people were responding.

    Anyway, thanks for the info...
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2010
    WooShoo wrote: »
    I don't feel the need to live on the forums, and until they make the search feature viable, people will keep asking with new threads. Also, by forming your statement similar to mine (not being an TRIBBLE), you do come off that way if for no other reason than it sounds mocking. I added that as an edit to my post because it was rude for me to go off like that when people were responding.

    Anyway, thanks for the info...

    Seriously, there's no tone in my words. Any tone you read into my writing you are putting it there. I wasn't mocking you at all. I was simply trying to let you know that I too was not being that way, since I felt I might sound like a jerk if I said "you're a little late to this party."

    There have been some well documented data and feedback given to the devs about what happens with certain NPCs on the ground at higher difficulties. Most testers have found this to come from the effects of two types of AoE attacks. One is from dual bolt pistols. One is from full auto sweep heavy assault weapons. Klingon Swordmasters are particularly nasty because they have the dual bolt pistols that they fire when they charge. And then when you're softened up, they use melee weapons that can bypass shields.

    But a lot of testers found out that the changes in difficulty were also ramping up similar issues with a lot of the randomly spawned alien species. Like Crimto. And Vito'D and Starlians. Because a lot of them are equipped with the problem weapons.

    In fact there was quite an interesting back and forth about how the elite setting ended up making Borg the least scary of any random spawn you can get in the B'Tran Cluster.

    Added to this is the debuff you get from disruptors. Which is a huge ouchie.

    There are some issues with this patch that need some fine tuning. But there's not been a whole lot of dev response about this particular issue. They know about it.

    I welcome more and more threads about this. I really do.

    Just trying to catch some people up is all.

    When you change the difficulty settings, there is the risk of certain NPC configurations being able to insta-kill your entire away team. It sucks. It is there.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2010
    yups was that full auto super cannon that tore my team to bits which is made up of 4 engineers and myself an engineer with multiple turrets :)

    I came across species 8472 and they were mushy and easy came across the starlians and it was "erm ok where is my bomb the planet from orbit it is the only way button".

    I think it was the aoe that did the majority of the damage especially when its coming from multiple targets, with no means to avoid even spreading my team thin they just got gunned down.

    it did require a change in tactics from kill all aliens to lets ignore the aliens and go just get the clicky, sort of glad they wernt closer.
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