Story Difficulty Scaling - New Test: Meet Rocket & Groot

scottee

spectator wrote:

I think people are forgetting that this test pve rewards Cyclops covers which may explain the more competitive brackets

Yep, I'm only playing competitively because Cyclops red is the last one I need for him. So playing for top 5 for the last cover plus the first champion cover. And I knew it'd be cake because I have champed Thor and Rhulk. I grinded the 20 pt node for 2 hours the first day while watching tv, just to see how it'd help, and optimal clears the rest of the way are keeping me at rank 2.

SlappyDingle

All i know is that I hope they stop flip flopping the format as I just picked an end time for the new event based on the 24 hour scaling that I now hear will not be the case. Guess there's no way to change your end time huh?

Fratriarch

WEBGAS wrote:

bataglia wrote:

I dunno if there is a bot or something, but I used to be a top 20 player and now I am fighting for a top 50 spot. Some players made a hella more points than my optimal play style, so I believe they are grinding a lot in the easiest node. And I meaning A LOT, since its only 20 points, damn.

One simple fix....GET RID OF THE 20 POINTS

How about locking nodes after the 7 clears?

Smudge

Fratriarch wrote:

WEBGAS wrote:

bataglia wrote:

I dunno if there is a bot or something, but I used to be a top 20 player and now I am fighting for a top 50 spot. Some players made a hella more points than my optimal play style, so I believe they are grinding a lot in the easiest node. And I meaning A LOT, since its only 20 points, damn.

One simple fix....GET RID OF THE 20 POINTS

How about locking nodes after the 7 clears?

That would mean ties for rewards and *gasp* a progression-based model. Those words are scorned in these parts.

action711

I can't believe they even put it out to test!

Grind for hours at the start of a sub, then don't play for 22 hours, then grind again for another 4-5 hours, then don't play for 22 hours, rinse and repeat.

How is that balanced play? Or even enjoyable?

I don't know the answer, I didn't see what was wrong with the old system, but this new system is just stoopid.

revskip

I like it a lot better. I can do all of my PVE in one sitting at the end of the night which leaves the daytime for doing PVP. I've never scored as high in PVP events as I have during the last two tests.

KGB

Fratriarch wrote:

WEBGAS wrote:

bataglia wrote:

I dunno if there is a bot or something, but I used to be a top 20 player and now I am fighting for a top 50 spot. Some players made a hella more points than my optimal play style, so I believe they are grinding a lot in the easiest node. And I meaning A LOT, since its only 20 points, damn.

One simple fix....GET RID OF THE 20 POINTS

How about locking nodes after the 7 clears?

I'd like to see the 20 point nodes remain until you hit progression for the sub.

I don't always have all 3 essential characters so I need to make up points elsewhere if I want progression. Allowing me to grind 20 points until I make up the needed points from the essential nodes is very helpful.

However once you hit progression points for the sub (say it's 4 clears then it's 4*point total of all nodes) then it should drop to 1 point.

KGB

Vhailorx

I think some of the consternation over the 20pt nodes is a bit overwrought.

To be sure, having the 20pt trivial nodes in this event, combined with a desirable 4* reward in Cyclops has definitely prompted some people to grind like crazy. I think DuckyV and a few others (like you scottee; I see you at the top of my bracket!) have reported grinding out 150+ plus wins in the final hours of subs just to see how much they could get out of this system.

That's really irritating and has led to inflated scores.

But the problem isn't the scoring system per se. It's the players. No matter what deimurge does, there will always be at least a few players willing to grind that extra little bit, or set an alarm just a little bit earlier in the morning to get their optimal clear in. having 20pt nodes instead of 1pt nodes at the end of events does magnify this problem. But any competitive system will inevitably result in some fierce competitors sacrificing the extra time/money to get a superior placement.

This is exactly the same phenomenon as wildly inflated PVP scores back in the days of Sentry/Hood (which led to shield-cooldowns being implemented). patching the problem with a modified scoring system (like 1pt trivial nodes) is a temporary solution at best.

Quick Fire

Their goal, if I recall, was to build a system that allows the player to play when they want. The six clear system was excessive for top ten players, but top fifty and beyond could essentially play whenever. Four clears forces at least top fifty players to play the way the op described. Possibly even top 100-150. I don't know.

Regardless, none of the systems so far truly grant time of play flexibility. I believe none will with a ranking system. I'm not advocating for a non ranking system, just saying that's how you eliminate time constraints.

I prefer the eight hour clocks with the scaling in the r&g test. I don't see why they have to change one to change the other.

mpqr7

I liked it. I was able to get 25 cp easily, as well as top 300 in each sub and top 200 for the final, which is really all I can hope to aim for.

LambadaDave

I enjoyed not being tied to an 8 hour timer, but I will likely miss out on the T100 prizes, and that is really rare for me.

The test succeeds at making PVE easier for me to hit progression, but nearly impossible for me to finish as high in standings as I am used to.

A very mixed bag of good and bad.

brisashi

Doesn't seem any more stupid than playing the game every 8 hours and then grinding for a couple hours before each sub ends.

As long as PVE is competetive it is gonna involve a lot of ridiculous grinding.

TxMoose

some prefer it spread in smaller intervals throughout the day. I'm sure some love that they can sit down for 4 hours and knock it out (grind sub end and start the next one). I'm not one of them. I think its more healthy to play a little in the morning, a little at lunch and a nice ~2 hour session in the evening.

scottee

Vhailorx wrote:

I think some of the consternation over the 20pt nodes is a bit overwrought.

To be sure, having the 20pt trivial nodes in this event, combined with a desirable 4* reward in Cyclops has definitely prompted some people to grind like crazy. I think DuckyV and a few others (like you scottee; I see you at the top of my bracket!) have reported grinding out 150+ plus wins in the final hours of subs just to see how much they could get out of this system.

That's really irritating and has led to inflated scores.

But the problem isn't the scoring system per se. It's the players. No matter what deimurge does, there will always be at least a few players willing to grind that extra little bit, or set an alarm just a little bit earlier in the morning to get their optimal clear in. having 20pt nodes instead of 1pt nodes at the end of events does magnify this problem. But any competitive system will inevitably result in some fierce competitors sacrificing the extra time/money to get a superior placement.

Yep. People say "the system" makes it harder or easier to get high placement, when in reality, when it comes to placement, it's always other players playing harder, longer, or smarter than you. The only thing that removes that is getting rid of placement and having progression only.

san

I much preferred the R&G test. I didn't bother with placement, but even with casual playing, I was 13th through 2 subs. I stopped playing entirely since obtaining the LT before the end of the second sub, but I don't see the issue that most people have brought up (in terms of placement).

As for the OP's post, when you try and point out that something is stupid, you might want to check that you spell that correctly.

LordXberk

I'm sure OP spelled stoopid that way on purpose to highlight how st00pid the new system is.

Forget the scaling (which is better in this test) and the lower max progression (which is better in this test, but probably not sustainable). The new 24hr clock really doesn't change flexibility for those looking just for progression. That was always play whenever you want, do 3-4 clears, and you'll get it. Maybe it didn't seem like it bcs the point values appeared lower, but it was basically the case. Now it just means that for t100 or even t200, you MUST grind at the beginning and end of each sub for 4hrs. How is forcing me to do 4hrs of playing all at once any better than spaced out clears every 8hrs (give or take an hour or two)? Also, the 20pt node is insanely stupeed. Now, it's play whenever you want*, except if you want t100, then play for 4 hours straight at sub end / beginning AND throughout the day on a 20pt node that gives no rewards.

With the old 8hr system, the new scaling, and the new max progression, I think most people would be happy....errrr, not really happy bcs PVE is messed up, but at least it would be better than this new test.

Lastly, for those who say, you just want a system that benefits you and the new system makes you work harder, so you don't like it, blah, blah, blah. Well, 1) that is true, I don't deny it, but 2) if they want me to work harder, then the rewards need to be much better. Don't ask me to grind for 2x as long as I normally have to grind and give me the same ****.

loslupus77

As far as difficulty in this test, it's hard for me to assess it. This PVE had 4hor and Rulk boosted and them with IM40 cleared hard(=deadly) nodes in Gauntlet when they weren't even boosted (and I've since upped Rulk by 50 levels), so obviously these nodes weren't hard to clear. But boyohboy, it got boring and fast. This kind of repetitive gaming shouldn't be played for more than 30 to 60 minutes in succession. Clearing all nodes two or more times in a row got me some "thank god it's over"-feelings. Anyone who played these nodes for 20 points should really their room and go confess to their mother that they have some serious real-life issues and need help immediately.

Granted the progression rewards were easy to get but in order to get top50 placement I needed to clear all nodes 4 times and cp-nodes until I got cp. Normally 3 times and cps is good enough for top 50 in my bracket. So, the end result is I need to play more for same **** rewards. Not good. Just get rid of the competitive element of PVE and most people will be happy (obviously not those guys who grind nodes over and over again for 20 points, but hopefully they have their medication in order by the time D3 smartens up).

an1979

In my bracket t10 made 200-600+ hits on 20 point node last day alone...

Tinykitty stup....*cough* silly PvE.

If this stays I'm writing* a bot in Autoit for myself.
*by writing I mean I'm buying one - 'cause I bet you there will be tens of them for .99cents.

madsalad

I really wish they would just scale nodes into infinity, remove placement, run out the progression to infinity and let the chips fall where they may. You'll get progression rewards based on the strength of your roster. Period.

ngoni

an1979 wrote:

In my bracket t10 made 200-600+ hits on 20 point node last day alone...

Tinykitty stup....*cough* silly PvE.

If this stays I'm writing* a bot in Autoit for myself.
*by writing I mean I'm buying one - 'cause I bet you there will be tens of them for .99cents.

Yeah #1 in my bracket was over 17000 pts higher than #2. This is over 7 hours of grinding a 20pt node if it takes 30seconds. So under this system people with bots or just a high tolerance for repetition will win.

Surely bots are against the TOS and D3 can detect them?