The Hunt - Oct. 24-28

Unknown

russreid91 wrote:

My bracket

1) Red Panda 135943
2) marsupilamy31 135812
3) Russ91 132531 (me)
10) wildekarde18 122135

Amazeballs and DuffManOhYeah are in the top ten of mine as well.

Can't see 11 at the moment

My ears are burning.

Pwuz_

DuffManOhYeah wrote:

russreid91 wrote:

My bracket

1) Red Panda 135943
2) marsupilamy31 135812
3) Russ91 132531 (me)
10) wildekarde18 122135

Amazeballs and DuffManOhYeah are in the top ten of mine as well.

Can't see 11 at the moment

My ears are burning.

Oh, my bracket!
#1: Red Panda 142850
marsupilamy31 141113
Grayone 140538
Russ91 137112
DuffManOhYeah 133650
Poirot 131337
Big Daddy R 131224
Amazeballs 130989
nathan80 129971
#10: wildekarde18 127936

#27: inadreves1 87557
#36: ms.immortal7 81807

Yeah, I'm not getting top 20 at this rate, but top 50 is pretty much a given. 2 Blade covers for ME!!!

Ducky

So glad this nightmare is over, hah.

xequalsy

Sadly, I missed one too many refreshes yesterday when I was busy the whole afternoon - locked me just out of top10 by about 6/7k points. Ah well, grats lukewin for grinding to the win in my bracket! [I feel bad you did all that grinding for a blue IW (seems like you need one) but I'm sure you would have preferred X-Force or a Fury]

Might as well do some PvP I guess.

Unknown

TINY. KITTY. I missed top 10 by 30 effing points. My final match finished right when it ended and I guess didn't count toward my score. Suuuuuuuucks.

DrStrange-616

Fievel wrote:

TINY. KITTY. I missed top 10 by 30 effing points. My final match finished right when it ended and I guess didn't count toward my score. Suuuuuuuucks.

I haaaate it when that happens. Bummer.

Unknown

Made to #2 spot in my bracket.

I'm happy. Now to really work on roster improvement

Tomorrow its back to PvP grinding I go

Ebolamonkey84

Managed to stay top 10, but my alliance wasn't able to break top 100. At least I get one of each.

lukewin

xequalsy wrote:

Sadly, I missed one too many refreshes yesterday when I was busy the whole afternoon - locked me just out of top10 by about 6/7k points. Ah well, grats lukewin for grinding to the win in my bracket! [I feel bad you did all that grinding for a blue IW (seems like you need one) but I'm sure you would have preferred X-Force or a Fury]

Might as well do some PvP I guess.

Thanks. The grinding wasn't just for the blue IW, that I do need. Finished last PVE #2, so just wanted to get back in the #1 spot. Worse part is, I let an X-Force and IW expire about a month ago, when I was helping my friend out with wedding stuff for a week (only a real best man would do that). It was the event that granted Colossus and I was struggling for HP back then, wasn't in strong alliance.

This time was trying to ensure alliance top 2 rank. I think we were #1 for 99% of the event, dropped to #2 within the last 15-30 minutes, then dropped to #3 in what had to be, the last minute. Since we can't connect to the leaderboard, can't even see what alliance came in with mad sniping skills. Congrats to Immortal Rage, who stepped up or merc'd up within the last hour. Enjoy the extra 150 HP.

Unknown

Got 8th by a good margin from 11th.

God i hate The Hunt though, it's so boring.

SunCrusher

Somehow got myself death-bracketed in this Event with all the big and fully-built 3-4* boys and girls (I'm only a 2* transitional and a VERY transitional one at that) while a newer player that I know who joined at the same time got a different and easier and more relaxed bracket despite the fact that we both joined somewhat early and at the same time.

They snagged all their covers while I barely grabbed my last one + 50HP despite the fact that my end point total was significantly higher and I had long since passed the Final Progression Reward while they had barely grabbed it if they had managed to in the first place.

The fact that my big boys and girls were also grinders and no-sleepers just made it worse because I ended up having to sacrifice sleep and spend on Health Packs myself just to grab the last cover while the newer player very much did not. The refreshes I missed were mostly sleep-related. I stopped looking at the point leaders when they sailed past 150K and kept right on going. Not sure if any of you were in my bracket or not as I didn't recognize any usernames this time around.

I'm over this.

Must be fantastic to be a newbie nowadays and have easy brackets handed to you on a silver platter every. single. ****. time.

Maybe that's not actually true (because I know someone's going to say it) but from where I'm standing and from what I'm seeing happen IRL over the last 6 or so months, it's true enough.

This event was not only exhausting but also personally demoralizing. I don't mind falling behind the big guys and gals *waves at some of you whom I have seen before*, but seeing a newbie go tra-la-la to collect 3 covers yet again because somehow their bracketing was more favorable again despite joining at the same time just blows.

Congrats to everyone else who made it, though.

Unknown

SunCrusher wrote:

Somehow got myself death-bracketed in this Event with all the big and fully-built 3-4* boys and girls (I'm only a 2* transitional and a VERY transitional one at that) while a newer player that I know who joined at the same time got a different and easier and more relaxed bracket despite the fact that we both joined somewhat early and at the same time.

They snagged all their covers while I barely grabbed my last one + 50HP despite the fact that my end point total was significantly higher and I had long since passed the Final Progression Reward while they had barely grabbed it if they had managed to in the first place.

The fact that my big boys and girls were also grinders and no-sleepers just made it worse because I ended up having to sacrifice sleep and spend on Health Packs myself just to grab the last cover while the newer player very much did not. The refreshes I missed were mostly sleep-related. I stopped looking at the point leaders when they sailed past 150K and kept right on going. Not sure if any of you were in my bracket or not as I didn't recognize any usernames this time around.

I'm over this.

Must be fantastic to be a newbie nowadays and have easy brackets handed to you on a silver platter every. single. tinykitty. time.

Maybe that's not actually true (because I know someone's going to say it) but from where I'm standing and from what I'm seeing happen IRL over the last 6 or so months, it's true enough.

This event was not only exhausting but also personally demoralizing. I don't mind falling behind the big guys and gals *waves at some of you whom I have seen before*, but seeing a newbie go tra-la-la to collect 3 covers yet again because somehow their bracketing was more favorable again despite joining at the same time just blows.

Congrats to everyone else who made it, though.

Last time I checked 3 out of 10 characters in my bracket's top 10 (I'm one of them) has a character of level 166 or higher. The guy who ran away with #1 certainly did not have anyone at level 166.

If anything this is the first event where 3*s can be somewhat competitive because scaling doesn't fluctuate too much throughout the event so there aren't too many unexpected surprises. Not that it's fair, but you didn't wake up to see your nodes go up by 100 levels which totally changed whatever plan you used to have.

SunCrusher

No, it's not, and like I said - and will always say - I don't mind following behind the big guys and gals, either - I really don't.

Though your #1 was someone who wasn't all 166s, at LEAST I can say that in my bracket, top 5 ALL went to people with huge and built rosters so congrats to them because that at least feels natural!

What doesn't feel natural is the newbie waltzing away with the top rewards while barely skimming - if even touching - Final Progression Rewards because their bracket - regardless of when they joined is somehow more relaxed and easier and THAT is what I am having problems with.

Said newbie was wondering why the hell I wasn't eating yet and when I told them my situation, they were all, "... OH. You mean you're not top 10 like me?"

"... NOOOOO? I'm not even top 50!"

"... Oh."

Unknown

SunCrusher wrote:

No, it's not, and like I said - and will always say - I don't mind following behind the big guys and gals, either - I really don't.

Though your #1 was someone who wasn't all 166s, at LEAST I can say that in my bracket, top 5 ALL went to people with huge and built rosters so congrats to them because that at least feels natural!

What doesn't feel natural is the newbie waltzing away with the top rewards while barely skimming - if even touching - Final Progression Rewards because their bracket - regardless of when they joined is somehow more relaxed and easier and THAT is what I am having problems with.

Said newbie was wondering why the hell I wasn't eating yet and when I told them my situation, they were all, "... OH. You mean you're not top 10 like me?"

"... NOOOOO? I'm not even top 50!"

"... Oh."

While I suspect a lot of the guys without anyone at 166 are just hardcore players who purposely didn't level anyone to 166 to take advantage of PvE scaling, that doesn't change the fact that weak rosters are perfectly competitive in current PvE.

Right now I'd say the 3 dominant factors of PvE are:

1. Scaling (major)
This would be say, Unstable Isotope where you see the 395s on day 3 which is the game telling you 'thanks for playing, but not this time'
2. Time
3. Scaling (minor)
This would be say The Hunt where you're looking at a level 260 Ares and a 2* roster is looking at 150 Ares. It's not outright impossible, but it's certainly harder for you to win compared to the 2*. If the 2* can match you in time played he's likely to have an advantage just because that difference adds up.

In this event we don't have major scaling issues that completely prevents most 3* from competing, so if they can beat you in time played, they'll still comfortably beat you despite the scaling disadvantage. I got #3 at the end and held my place by just doing the essentials + easy track in the last 2 days, and since I doubt anyone in the top 10 was missing Captain Marvel, it's hard to imagine I have an edge in quality of the nodes cleared, so this means my time played was more than enough to hold off the 2*s (except the #1 guy, he played way more than I did, and the #2 guy was pretty much always 1K point ahead of me so we probably played nearly identical amount).

SunCrusher

Phantron wrote:

While I suspect a lot of the guys without anyone at 166 are just hardcore players who purposely didn't level anyone to 166 to take advantage of PvE scaling, that doesn't change the fact that weak rosters are perfectly competitive in current PvE.

Right now I'd say the 3 dominant factors of PvE are:

1. Scaling (major)
This would be say, Unstable Isotope where you see the 395s on day 3 which is the game telling you 'thanks for playing, but not this time'
2. Time
3. Scaling (minor)

This would be say The Hunt where you're looking at a level 260 Ares and a 2* roster is looking at 150 Ares. It's not outright impossible, but it's certainly harder for you to win compared to the 2*. If the 2* can match you in time played he's likely to have an advantage just because that difference adds up.

I would agree (if people can grind through all the big point nodes and keep going, it's reasonable to assume that if they got a head start and kept up, they can probably keep at it regardless of their roster) though in this case, I know for a fact that my play time definitely outweighed the newer player's and yes, I was able to keep up with the Essentials... but we were also in two different brackets so in a way, we can't even compare.

In this event we don't have major scaling issues that completely prevents most 3* from competing, so if they can beat you in time played, they'll still comfortably beat you despite the scaling disadvantage. I got #3 at the end and held my place by just doing the essentials + easy track in the last 2 days, and since I doubt anyone in the top 10 was missing Captain Marvel, it's hard to imagine I have an edge in quality of the nodes cleared, so this means my time played was more than enough to hold off the 2*s (except the #1 guy, he played way more than I did, and the #2 guy was pretty much always 1K point ahead of me so we probably played nearly identical amount).

This is likely what happened with me in my bracket and it makes sense because they just kept going and going and going and I certainly don't bear any kind of grudge against them for managing to hold out and keep going!

In the end, I'm just kind of miffed that I lost sleep, spent Health Packs, played 'chase the leader' throughout the Event from start to finish and missed minimal refreshes, and the other person who joined at the exact same time as me was able to play much more casually, miss more refreshes, and still place in the top in a totally different bracket whose point totals were a far cry from my own.

I mention the join time because everyone keeps talking about how joining early tends to only be for grinders who will grind and grind and grind on nodes and that almost inevitably, most of the difficult brackets tend to be in the 'early' phase. Well, if that's the case, then how is this person consistently getting favorable/more relaxed brackets for PvEs despite joining early or at the same time that I am?

My leader's end point totals sailed past 150K, easy, before I stopped checking on the last day and by their count their leader's point totals barely hit 100K and their own points were significantly lower.

It's not the first time it's happened; this has happened - us joining at the same time, but getting bracketed separately with their bracket always being more relaxed with lower point requirements to place high - consistently for several months now which is why I'm getting frustrated.

It's like the game is expecting me to be able to duke it out with people like you... but if you're a newbie, you get to play in a special kiddie pool bracket where less effort (compared to what I consistently put into my events) and being able to soundly sleep can still snag you 3 3* covers when your 2*s aren't even fully covered yet and you're still relying on 1*s.

Unknown

I know my top 10 finished with 3 Alliance members in it. The last 12 hours was nice and easy and if I was only interested in top 10 I could have skipped it totally - not that I needed IW but the chasers did not seem to want it either.

SunCrusher wrote:

It's not the first time it's happened; this has happened - us joining at the same time, but getting bracketed separately with their bracket always being more relaxed with lower point requirements to place high - consistently for several months now which is why I'm getting frustrated.

It's like the game is expecting me to be able to duke it out with people like you... but if you're a newbie, you get to play in a special kiddie pool bracket where less effort (compared to what I consistently put into my events) and being able to soundly sleep can still snag you 3 3* covers when your 2*s aren't even fully covered yet and you're still relying on 1*s.

My rubber band calculator account gets thrown in the kiddie pool brackets also and its bloodly painful to see the difference in scores between them. But the obvious fix of making the brackets bigger to reduce the variation between them is not going to happen since it would screw over all the people that cannot join close to the start and probably kill the D3 servers. The old guard will remember what happened when everyone was in one bracket talk about server lag...

Unknown

Nuts. #3 in the end. For the last 2 days it's basically been between me and one other guy vying for the second IW reward. But I had to sleep, and had a bad run of luck before bed last night against those Ragnarok + Daken essentials, so couldn't do more than a couple attempts at each before getting royally stomped. Oh well, at least it wasn't an X-Force or Fury or something I would have found useful.

The guy at #1 was just so far ahead of me. I finished at 128k and he was ~150k when I called it a night (no idea what he finished at, due to that leaderboard bug stopping me from checking final standings). Weirdly, it seemed as though he was always gaining points, regardless of the time of the day. I'd get up in the morning and he'd have a ton more points, but I wouldn't gain all that much ground on him during the daytime. Insomnia much?

SunCrusher

Sumilea wrote:

I know my top 10 finished with 3 Alliance members in it. The last 12 hours was nice and easy and if I was only interested in top 10 I could have skipped it totally - not that I needed IW but the chasers did not seem to want it either.

SunCrusher wrote:

It's not the first time it's happened; this has happened - us joining at the same time, but getting bracketed separately with their bracket always being more relaxed with lower point requirements to place high - consistently for several months now which is why I'm getting frustrated.

It's like the game is expecting me to be able to duke it out with people like you... but if you're a newbie, you get to play in a special kiddie pool bracket where less effort (compared to what I consistently put into my events) and being able to soundly sleep can still snag you 3 3* covers when your 2*s aren't even fully covered yet and you're still relying on 1*s.

My rubber band calculator account gets thrown in the kiddie pool brackets also and its bloodly painful to see the difference in scores between them. But the obvious fix of making the brackets bigger to reduce the variation between them is not going to happen since it would screw over all the people that cannot join close to the start and probably kill the D3 servers. The old guard will remember what happened when everyone was in one bracket talk about server lag...

So I really am not just seeing things, then!

I've been having a difficult time motivating myself to 'do better' because I ask myself why should I be losing sleep and spending on Health Packs... only to miss top 50 by literally a few points while the newer person with a tiny 1-2* roster + 3* covers earned from kiddie pool PvE bracketing can sit back, relax, eat dinner, sleep every single night and oversleep the next morning in some cases and not have a care in the world about dropping from their top place when the effort and time they've put into it pales in comparison to what I've had to put it even though we both joined at the same time.

If it was just a matter of luck, you'd think I'd end up in one of those brackets at SOME point within the last 6 months given that me and the newer player joined the events at the same time, but nope. Not a single time. Even better, I joined pre-R47 so I definitely didn't benefit in my newbie days, either, so I can't even say, "Yeah, been there and done that!"

Like I told Phantron, I don't care if I'm lagging behind you guys or other people with seriously built rosters and such. At least THAT makes some kind of sense. But to pump in so much time and effort to earn respectable points that barely grab the lowest hanging fruit while the new player gets kiddie pool bracketing time and time again and can basically go la-de-da and earn top 10 consistently without even having to catch the Final Progression Reward at times is just infuriating.

I readily admit to grumbling about late-joining and favorable bracketing, but if people can join whenever they want to and -still- get favorable bracketing because of kiddie pool bracketing and -still- get the top tier rewards that's still another story.

I just don't know what to think anymore. I know this much, though, I haven't given Blade a roster slot, yet, because I'm just feeling that discouraged, frustrated, and demoralized.

I can't catch up to you guys (reasonable enough!)... but I can't even do better than the newbies, either? ****.

Unknown

Due to work and not having Captain Marvel, didn't hit this one as hard. Was way out of top 100. I checked the rewards and a thought went through my head: Do I really need another 2* cover (=> 250 iso), or 3 standard recruit tokens? At least with the 3 recruit tokens I have a chance at getting something I need. So I stopped playing altogether. Seriously, the reward system is broken when it encourages you NOT to play.

Still ended up with that useless cstorm cover, darn it.

CrookedKnight

Man. There's nothing like your alliance going from 101st to 99th in the final two minutes. That got my heart rate going.