PVE Scaling Feedback & New Test : Unstable Iso-8

veny

Keegan wrote:

veny wrote:

When i am suppose to max all my chars?

You're not supposed to

I am wondering when DEVs just come and say "We have enough characters for now, lets make some new features so you can max out 80+ covers you have"
I did some math: I need approx 12 000 000 ISO to max out all my current chars. With time i spend in game (daily, PvE to get CPs, sometimes PvP) i am able to get 8-12 000 ISO per day. So yeah, goodbye in next decade

Pants1000

I really like the 24-hour timer part of these changes. I like being able to play on my own schedule without without major negative impact to my score.

FWIW I mostly play PVE, and I recently my main focus is the 25 CP progression rewards. I get it 80-90% of the time, usually missing it when real life keeps me from playing at the optimal times. As long as the new progression levels are set properly, I think the new system will work better for me.

fnedude

Just an observation from someone transitioning to 4*, but only have 2x lvl 270....

This format seems to totally favor people that are transitioning evenly (ie lvling up 20x 3* up to 166, or 10 2* up to 94). For me that has 2x 270s (Fthor, XF) and now getting HB up to 270, it shafts me.

The subevents scale off my 270s (so I started like at lvl 210) and it goes up from there. So I have to use 1x 270 after I've won twice (so the nodes are like 250ish).

The other thing which hurts with the increased node levels is the time it takes. So I can usually get the 25CP reward in the PvE events, if I grind everything playing ~3.5hrs a night (or so, no playing any time during the day because work/family). For a 4-day event, call it 14hrs of grinding. I don't know if anyone's figured it out this time, but I know I can't get the 25CP reward in those 14 hours, because every node takes so much time to complete, because I have to use a limited roster that can handle a lvl 250+ node.

I did try it in the EotS event (do as much I as I could in time I had), and I only got around 86k pts, well below the 25CP reward of 156k pts which I had reached last time.

So my opinion on this reworking of the PvE event, is that it favors those that have fine-tuned their rosters to play PvE, but me (who hasn't) will be **** and denied getting those 25CPs that I desperately need so that I can earn the covers for my 4*s that have 1-6 covers.

I should add, that one of the things, that **I** at least found conforting, is that the "trivial" nodes were really that against a SS+Patch+LDaken, and I could veg-out while doing them. That's gone now. Thus the Iso-8 takes longer to get (to finish each round), with a smaller team (because I can't use just anyone on the trivial nodes), and no 25CPs at the end, which I need desperately to get my 4*s up above my 3*s lvls.

apmonte

I can't believe it's even possible, but I hate this test event even more than the previous test event. I started late, pretty much on the second day. The trivial nodes were anything but. Maybe I'm unlucky, or maybe it's just the **** characters that were boosted, but after losing two "trivial" nodes to muscle throwing out 461 strength strike tiles every turn, I'm done with this event.

I really don't see how the devs can't do a better job of testing this internally. It wouldn't seem that hard to create copies of a random account from every 100th alliance (previous seasons ranking) to get a cross section of the community. It could just about be automated if you made the player copies a bit smarter. Gather metrics, and wash, rinse, repeat. There would still need to be hands on play, but some sort of automated testing should go a long way to understanding how changes to game mechanics change the game for players at all levels. In effect, this would amount to a form of regression testing.

Looking forward to the next test...

HaywireII

Difficulty is still too high. In nodes where I have to deal with Muscle generating strike tiles I either have to have a perfect board that lets me deal with them (kill them or collect enough AP for stun or countdown removal) in the first 6 moves or everyone dies.

The time commitment is debatable. It takes way too long to grind out all 7 rewards from every node because they are too difficult but maybe I'm not supposed to be able to get every reward quickly. I did get the 25 CP reward this morning which was only halfway through the event. That may have been because of all of the extra points from rubberbanding though.

If I wasn't so ISO starved (I need 750K just to champion all of the 3*'s I've max covered) I probably wouldn't still be playing this event.

Smudge

My thoughts on this one so far...

Mirriam Webster wrote:

Trivial
adjective triv·i·al \ˈtri-vē-əl\

Simple Definition of trivial
: not important

Full Definition of trivial
1
: commonplace, ordinary
2
a : of little worth or importance <a trivial objection> <trivial problems>
b : relating to or being the mathematically simplest case; specifically : characterized by having all variables equal to zero <a trivial solution to a linear equation>

Level 120+ Muscle goons are NOT trivial. Scaling starts too high with these guys. Still very un-fun.

My only positive is that I will not be nuking nearly as much of my time on this one. I am planning to shoot for the 25 CP progression and stopping there, and praise His Noodliness, this is not set at an absurd number this time around.

Mawtful

I think I've played Unstable ISO less than the EotS test. But in both cases PvE has just become a kind of looming, insurmountable obstacle.

I can beat an all goon node at lvl 45 pretty easily without taking damage. I can do the same at level 200, it just takes more time. Under the old format, I only had to worry about 3-6 nodes challenging me in terms of time constraints; under the new format, it feels like the entire event is asking for a whole lot more of my time.

And it was very easy for me to quickly arrive at a decision; it's not worth it. I guess I'll just stick to PvP.

Gregore

They can easily fix scaling for 5 stars by simply stating the character at level 100, or 115 or even 130 . Not 255.

1* level 1
2* level 15
3* level 40
4* level 70
5* level 255 ??? What? ?

an1979

Played, wasted 5 hours grinding. Enough.

Two words:
Tinykitty stupid.


Fix it. And I mean FIX it, not make it "how can we squeeze more money from our playerbase".

Highdark

Something is horribly wrong with something. What is it when i grind to the check mark on nodes, get all of the progression rewards, but i am 300th and dropping. I only have 2 maxed 3*s and im battling 250 goons. I am so very confused. Are people wanting the **** cho that much?

Inarius

all this grinding is getting really old really fast, I want to try out other team combos but can't because the damn goons wipe me out before I can do anything, so I'm basically forced to pretty much use the same 3 guys if I want to make short work of them

those muscle pricks really deserve the purple heart for all the effort they put it, hell, I'm surprised you guys haven't thrown in kingpin with them or paired them up with the stupid kishus

yes, their levels are lower, but by hit #4 guys like venom are already sporting a 10k-11k hp pool, with those damn muscles not that far behind?

play when you want? I'm at work for the better part of the day and the nodes last 24h for the most part, and since the xp doesn't diminish after each hit, I have no choice but to hit them multiple times if I don't want to finish the bracket in spot 2xx. At least with the old system I would end up in place 50-60 without hitting every damn node 7 times.

what i still don't get is why did you feel like re-doing this test again after all the negative feedback you got?

what's next, put a payment option in HP next to each node to instantly get ALL the rewards and xp for that node in test #3? Tired of grinding? Here, pay 250 HP for the small nodes and 500 HP for the tougher ones and watch as all your troubles are solved.

bOmbast

Basically, the format makes us play more for the same, if not worse, rewards. Easier progression rewards this time, but negated by MUCH harder-to-get placement rewards. Add to that the need to spend more ISO and HP on boosts and health packs, and you end up spending more time without any payoff. Surely not a sustainable strategy.

WEBGAS

What is the negative feedback you are waiting, in order to understand that this new PVE format is hated by all of us?
F... Y.. (fill the dots) is enough?

p.s.: sorry but you driven me crazy

chibitoaster

I've been playing faithfully for over a year now, and this new test is the worst change D3 has made to the game so far.

How about instead of making it so only those who have all 3*+ characters can reach the top prize tiers, write some new storylines?

We don't like the 2-day long level-busting fests. Especially when the "easy" mode includes three level 220 characters and my best champions are only around 200 with an occasional 5* that throws my level grade out of whack.

I like to play daily, but it isn't my life. And now, it feels as if I have to spend 3+ hours a day playing this boring game over and over and over again in order to just earn the ISO to level up my 3* characters...

... only to repeat the same story next week. What's next in rotation? I forget if it's chasing Hulk again, or helping Deadpool find the ISO-8, or maybe this week we'll be fortunate enough to chase after Magneto for the 100th time.

Really, with all the storylines out there, why not something from Secret Wars? Or even Civil War since the movie's coming up.

And put the actual gameplay back to the way it was.

kyo28

Here's my feedback so far:

1. Regarding progression rewards: seems about right. I think with the right amount of points, you get the right amount of reward.

2. Regarding difficulty: ARE YOU GUYS INSANE? People who are still in their 2 progression are getting slaughtered in the later missions. First 3-4 missions are OK but it's completely undoable in the latter missions. I'm mainly a 2 cover player and happen to have one, exactly one 5 cover. Is that single cover exponentially increasing difficulty for me? I don't know. But if it is the case then the balancing system is severely broken because 1 5 cover is irrelevant when you look at my entire team which consists of levelled up 2 characters and a couple of 3 that aren't even above level 90.

How I am supposed to get a lot of points I don't know and it's extremely frustrating having to replay the last 3 missions several times with different team make-ups and STILL failing to complete them. That is simply poor difficulty balancing, period! On top of that, 2 out of 3 of the character specific missions I can't even play because I lack the necessary characters.

So how are beginning players supposed to enjoy this with missions we can't even participate in and those that we can participate in have a staggering difficulty, making it impossible to earn decent points and in return making it impossible to advance our roster.


The basic idea is good but it really needs to be tweaked to give lower level players a chance to get some decent rewards and/or to finish later missions.

slidecage

Highdark wrote:

Something is horribly wrong with something. What is it when i grind to the check mark on nodes, get all of the progression rewards, but i am 300th and dropping. I only have 2 maxed 3*s and im battling 250 goons. I am so very confused. Are people wanting the tinykitty cho that much?

i got people with 70k and they still have 1 day to go....sorry but wont play pve this way. i be lucky to get t he CP

Xzasxz

Why the posiible reward is decreasing after every single fight?!! Not after 6 clears each node, but just after few few fights it total. What this mean? This is sick.
In all the aspects possible I see this teast iteration worst possible.

Crowl

Can anyone in contact with the devs let us know why they bothered with a second test so soon when it did basically nothing to address the issues raised by players in the first test.

The trivial nodes are still absent, the scaling is still mostly horrible for most people and the amount of grinding for placement rewards are still increased from the regular system and less flexible.

RyanL24

One more thing, the new 7 clear system on 48 hour subs is really, really, intolerably BORING!

Play each node 6 times, which should burn up 4-6 hours of your life. Then do nothing for 24 hours. Play each node 1 more time so you can have nothing to do for the next 20 hours. Yawn.

an1979

Is this only this event test change or will it be continued?
In Sub-Event 2: Mediterranean - 48 hours sub-event there were different prizes for placement.
1-10 - 250
11-50 - 100

24 hours Sub-Event 3: The Americas is back to normal
1-10 - 100
11-50 - 50

I completely missed any announcement. Were this in EotS test too?