Thick as Thieves

Unknown

I always forget this, but is it better to do the higher point mission first or lowest?

DirigiblePilot

cstar wrote:

I always forget this, but is it better to do the higher point mission first or lowest?

I think (but this is only my thoughts) that it is better to do lower points first, so your rubberbanding (if any) drops as slowly as possible. Alternately, you could do the hardest mission first, then do the easier missions later.

Unknown

The order of missions do not matter, because let's say you got a mission for 2000 and 2 for 1000, and you're exactly 2000 points behind the leader (this scenario is impossible but we'll just pretend it is possible). If you do the 2000 mission first, you'll tie with the leader, and your missions will be worth 100 (the 2000 mission is base 200, half of that for doing it once), 100, and 100 and you can get 400 points from those 3 missions (100, 100+50, 100+50). If you do 2X1000 first, your missions are now 200, 50, and 50 and you also get 400 more points (200+100, 50, 50).

Now, since missions increase in level for completing them, what you want to do is the mission that's worth the most first if it is not already level 230 (it is always the hardest mission). If it is already level 230, then do the next hardest mission (not necessarily the most points at this point) that isn't level 230 yet. For the sake of your sanity, I prefer to start with the high point missions first, as this gives me an idea of how close I am to the bracket leader so I know if I should bother continue grinding. While the outcome is the same, doing the big points missions first lets you know whether you actually had a shot at catching up or whether you should just cut your losses.

Unknown

I think I'll start my push in half an hour. Just want this to be over already. Annoyed that I'll probably drop out of top 2 due to rubberbanding but whatever.

Unknown

Phantron wrote:

The order of missions do not matter, because let's say you got a mission for 2000 and 2 for 1000, and you're exactly 2000 points behind the leader (this scenario is impossible but we'll just pretend it is possible). If you do the 2000 mission first, you'll tie with the leader, and your missions will be worth 100 (the 2000 mission is base 200, half of that for doing it once), 100, and 100 and you can get 400 points from those 3 missions (100, 100+50, 100+50). If you do 2X1000 first, your missions are now 200, 50, and 50 and you also get 400 more points (200+100, 50, 50).

Now, since missions increase in level for completing them, what you want to do is the mission that's worth the most first if it is not already level 230 (it is always the hardest mission). If it is already level 230, then do the next hardest mission (not necessarily the most points at this point) that isn't level 230 yet. For the sake of your sanity, I prefer to start with the high point missions first, as this gives me an idea of how close I am to the bracket leader so I know if I should bother continue grinding. While the outcome is the same, doing the big points missions first lets you know whether you actually had a shot at catching up or whether you should just cut your losses.

It figures that math is what would get me to register...

I'm pretty sure you've neglected to consider the change in the rubber-banding factor as you do missions. You're taking it as 10x if your score is less than the leader's and 0 otherwise, but of course we know that actually it smoothly varies between those values as your score approaches the leader's. The problem with what you've done is that you're supposing that both of the 100 point base missions will yield 1000 points when you do them before the 2000 point mission. What's actually going to happen is that you'll get 1000 from the first one and then something like 500 for the second (I don't know if the factor is actually proportional to the distance between your score and the leader's within some range, but it's close).

If it takes you negligible time to complete missions, then you ought to do high-value (but not your highest-value) missions that will not push you close enough to the leader to change your rubber-banding factor first. So if you're many thousands of points behind you want to do some 1000 point missions instead of the one 2000 point mission and instead of the 400 point missions. When you can't do any more missions without changing your rubber-banding factor, you ought to do your highest-value mission, and then move on to the next most valuable mission, etc., until you have no missions left.

The wrinkle in this for this event in particular is that missions take significant time to complete. What I've said only holds if the leader's score isn't changing while you do the missions. Depending on how quickly other people are doing missions, it might make sense to keep a high-value mission in reserve, especially if the alternative is that you yourself will become the leader and give other people's rubber-banding factors a boost.

It's all pretty counter-intuitive. I would prefer it if individual points, rather than missions, were the discrete units to which rubber-banding was applied, such that there would be no reason to prefer high-value to low-value missions as long as the leader's score isn't changing.

Edit: And at least in my bracket it seems like rubber-banding starts scaling down from 10x once I get within about 2200 of the leader.

Unknown

How the heck do you know when you're close to but haven't yet changed your rubber banding "factor"

Unknown

Hm some of my missions won't refresh until about 11. I guess I'll start in about 10 minutes and then do the refresh ones later.

Unknown

I'm assuming your score is being compared to the overall leader, not just the leader of your bracket. If this is the case, combined with the delay in point updating, it's pretty much impossible to play the rubberbanding ideally

Wobby

Crazyeyeskiller wrote:

All you guys fighting 230s are freaking nuts. (Except Hood solo, he doesn't change). You're not tanking correctly or enough. I've kept every mission at the lowest possible level (final Magneto/Hood mission for example goes to 47 for me). If the levels go too high in the middle of a sub or main just tank some more. They will go down within 15-20 retreats.

My hood solo (first time) was 230... But I've fought him around 50 as well.

I'm planning a #1 finish in this event (after 3 straight #1 subs and hopefully my fourth tonight for the last yellow patch) and hoping like heck I get it... And am surprised at everyone who has had these walls of 230s.

I do have to assume that the level of your characters and the levels where you pull off wins do matter. My patch, OBW, and spidey were between 30-40 all tournament long til now (dumped 20k into patch just now) and I'm guessing that and liberal tanking have kept me safe and sound.

Unknown

If you're getting 10X the base modifier (e.g. 2000 on The Who, which is base 200) then the behavior of the rubberband is irrelevent. That mission is never going to be worth more than 2000 so from your point of view doing 2000 or 1000X2 is exactly the same. Doing the higher point mission gives you a better idea of where you stand and thus how much more effort you should invest (or not), even though technically there's no difference to the order.

Unknown

Phantron wrote:

If you're getting 10X the base modifier (e.g. 2000 on The Who, which is base 200) then the behavior of the rubberband is irrelevent. That mission is never going to be worth more than 2000 so from your point of view doing 2000 or 1000X2 is exactly the same. Doing the higher point mission gives you a better idea of where you stand and thus how much more effort you should invest (or not), even though technically there's no difference to the order.

My point was that you can't do 1000x2 missions if you're not far, far behind the leader. After you do the first one, the second one won't be worth 1000 anymore.

gobstopper wrote:

I'm assuming your score is being compared to the overall leader, not just the leader of your bracket. If this is the case, combined with the delay in point updating, it's pretty much impossible to play the rubberbanding ideally

But, sure, this could easily be true too. I think it's still pretty easy to tell, based on what you've seen over the last week, whether you're very close or not close at all to where rubber-banding is going to start dropping from 10x for you. "Ideally" isn't going to happen, though.

Unknown

Wobby wrote:

Crazyeyeskiller wrote:

All you guys fighting 230s are freaking nuts. (Except Hood solo, he doesn't change). You're not tanking correctly or enough. I've kept every mission at the lowest possible level (final Magneto/Hood mission for example goes to 47 for me). If the levels go too high in the middle of a sub or main just tank some more. They will go down within 15-20 retreats.

My hood solo (first time) was 230... But I've fought him around 50 as well.

I'm planning a #1 finish in this event (after 3 straight #1 subs and hopefully my fourth tonight for the last yellow patch) and hoping like heck I get it... And am surprised at everyone who has had these walls of 230s.

I do have to assume that the level of your characters and the levels where you pull off wins do matter. My patch, OBW, and spidey were between 30-40 all tournament long til now (dumped 20k into patch just now) and I'm guessing that and liberal tanking have kept me safe and sound.

Yeah well that was written before I was forced to apply the patch and see the results. The effects of tanking are severely limited post patch for sure, it's a dramatic and obvious difference

Nemek

I'll write out the math after the event is over, but there is definitely an optimal way to do the missions (if you assume all missions are equally difficult and the change in leader points is negligible.)

Unknown

Ugh don't know whether to start my push now or keep waiting. I've got a few missions I'm waiting on a refresh for, but most of my big ones are refreshed...

Unknown

jozier wrote:

Ugh don't know whether to start my push now or keep waiting. I've got a few missions I'm waiting on a refresh for, but most of my big ones are refreshed...

I finished my sub in first by 800 heh...

Waiting to do the main, also unsure. Might do it 1:30 out, 1:20. Top is 52k, most of the names who were dogging me the entire tourney are already up there which is good.

Unknown

Yeah I won't touch my sub until I focus on the main. I already have a 5/3/5 Patch (levelled) and a 3/5/3 Patch (unlevelled) with a 4th yellow in my cache. I can go 4/5/4 and finish, or 3/5/5 and finish him after this sub anyway, so clearly not a priority for me.

Unknown

Nemek wrote:

I'll write out the math after the event is over, but there is definitely an optimal way to do the missions (if you assume all missions are equally difficult and the change in leader points is negligible.)

IMO any match with at least one NPC (Maggia, Doombot, HAMMER) is substantially easier than any fight with three villains.

But that might be because I have not fought a mob under level 230 in days.

Unknown

Crazyeyeskiller wrote:

All you guys fighting 230s are freaking nuts. (Except Hood solo, he doesn't change). You're not tanking correctly or enough. I've kept every mission at the lowest possible level (final Magneto/Hood mission for example goes to 47 for me). If the levels go too high in the middle of a sub or main just tank some more. They will go down within 15-20 retreats.

Such a sad proposal. ..
seriously ICE and the d3 crew. Your intention was on que. The abuse it received was messed up.

All the people abusing the tournament, thank you for allowing them to introduce a penalty to retreat other than health lost....

Unknown

Nemek wrote:

I'll write out the math after the event is over, but there is definitely an optimal way to do the missions (if you assume all missions are equally difficult and the change in leader points is negligible.)

Waiting with bated breath

Unknown

I LOVE it when I'm towards the end of a 5+ minute 230/230/230 villain mission when the game restarts to update.....LoL