The Hunt for the Falcon - April 18 - 27

Linkster79

You are right to a degree. In the very first sub I used the featured characters, Storm, Black Widow and Magneto. I'm sure you can figure out the best tactic to use with those 3. I didn't use boosts, I learned a long time ago not to rely on them thus I have 30 lots of most boosts. I saw the scaling hit very hard and very quick so I took time out of the event and did a hell of a lot of tanking. Ever since I have only ever seen nodes increasing in levels even before I play them.

Quite why scaling was ever implemented is beyond me. If people wish to grind every single node down to a nub why not let them? Rubberbanding will soon normalise scores across the brackets. As it is the best tactic to win is to play less? Where is the sense in that?

*Edit* Forgot to add, if healing during a match makes the AI think we find the matches easier than we do why are we allowed to do it? It is a feature of the game that should be used, if any cheating were going on to recover health health then yeah sure smack us down but don't punish players for optimising strategies. Scaling based on finish health of a match is very very broken and very very wrong. A count of how much HP has been lost in total during a much is much fairer and accurate. Player heal before matches finish so they can play for longer, sure the developers want people to play for longer don't they?

Unknown

Linkster79 wrote:

Player heal before matches finish so they can play for longer, sure the developers want people to play for longer don't they?

Yes, by using health packs. It's the only form of healing not influencing your scaling.

Unknown

I've opened 5 tokens this week (this was my first sub, I got the others from alliance) and I've drawn 2 yellow l.thor, 1 red l.thor, and 2 random 2**. So, I am happy with that. Getting 2 xforce? That's pretty crazy (with my first xforce 5/3/4 I'd rather take the l.thor anyway though personally).

As for the boost convo...I use them at the ends of event when I am going for first. Top 10 usually doesn't require that type of speed, but dropping 1-5k on boosts can be worth getting, or at least less stress @ getting the 4**** reward.

That said, I can only imagine how much iso o burned months ago when I was boosting to kill rags in lr with thor and (useless) doom.

kensterr

Is the Savage sub bracket meant to be 24 hours only? Cos that's what I saw when it opened, and its still counting down to the same amount of time.

Mawtful

soenottelling wrote:

I've opened 5 tokens this week (this was my first sub, I got the others from alliance) and I've drawn 2 yellow l.thor, 1 red l.thor, and 2 random 2**.

I think I've opened 5 tokens as well (maybe 6?). 2x IM40 and a bunch of unnecessary 2*.

Unknown

Older player returning to the game; this is my first event since December. Taking a moment of silence for my old MVP Thor... His yellow just isn't as impressive these days.

Anyway, I'm not sure on how this scaling works... Do I get harder enemies because I joined the event later? Or is it tied to my ranking? Because right now all my event nodes are deadly halfway through my first run through. Since I'm not grinding, I'm not sure what's triggering the scaling. Am I doing something "wrong" (finishing too quick? Using OBW to heal?). From the comments on this thread, it sounds like the expected thing to do is suicide your characters every now and then? I'd like to run through each subevent at least once, but obviously I'm not going to burn all my health packs on it when there's PvP finishing up.

Sorry for all the questions, I just feel completely lost about a mechanic that sounds intended to be transparent...

Unknown

wharrrgarbl wrote:

Older player returning to the game; this is my first event since December. Taking a moment of silence for my old MVP Thor... His yellow just isn't as impressive these days.

Anyway, I'm not sure on how this scaling works... Do I get harder enemies because I joined the event later? Or is it tied to my ranking? Because right now all my event nodes are deadly halfway through my first run through. Since I'm not grinding, I'm not sure what's triggering the scaling. Am I doing something "wrong" (finishing too quick? Using OBW to heal?). From the comments on this thread, it sounds like the expected thing to do is suicide your characters every now and then? I'd like to run through each subevent at least once, but obviously I'm not going to burn all my health packs on it when there's PvP finishing up.

Sorry for all the questions, I just feel completely lost about a mechanic that sounds intended to be transparent...

If you're looking for transparency you've come to the wrong game

HailMary

wharrrgarbl wrote:

Since I'm not grinding, I'm not sure what's triggering the scaling. Am I doing something "wrong" (finishing too quick? Using OBW to heal?). From the comments on this thread, it sounds like the expected thing to do is suicide your characters every now and then? I'd like to run through each subevent at least once, but obviously I'm not going to burn all my health packs on it when there's PvP finishing up.

Sorry for all the questions, I just feel completely lost about a mechanic that sounds intended to be transparent...

Being utterly lost about scaling is the general state of affairs here.

OBW healing does increase your scaling, because we're fairly certain that the scaling algorithm compares starting health and ending health for each fight. I don't think it factors in completion time. Suiciding (not retreating) several sets of characters in a node seems to have some nonzero effect on scaling. Also, community scaling is a minikitten, and runs the gamut from "seriously not cool" to "Technicolor Russian roulette."

Unknown

Ya I just won a match with patch basically dead, we started at full health. Chunks taken off his cohorts. Scaling increased 10 levels across the board for my troubles. TotW now at 113.

Do not see how we are supposed to actually win and like have fun while simultaneously digging our own graves.

Unknown

wharrrgarbl wrote:

Older player returning to the game; this is my first event since December. Taking a moment of silence for my old MVP Thor... His yellow just isn't as impressive these days.

Anyway, I'm not sure on how this scaling works... Do I get harder enemies because I joined the event later? Or is it tied to my ranking? Because right now all my event nodes are deadly halfway through my first run through. Since I'm not grinding, I'm not sure what's triggering the scaling. Am I doing something "wrong" (finishing too quick? Using OBW to heal?). From the comments on this thread, it sounds like the expected thing to do is suicide your characters every now and then? I'd like to run through each subevent at least once, but obviously I'm not going to burn all my health packs on it when there's PvP finishing up.

Sorry for all the questions, I just feel completely lost about a mechanic that sounds intended to be transparent...

What you are seeing is community scaling. While you were away, D3 implemented a mechanic that changed nodes from being fixed levels to dynamic based upon both your own personal performance as well as those of everyone else playing the same nodes. As the community completes nodes successfully, the levels of all nodes in events rise accordingly until, in theory, no one can complete them.

Healing in battle will raise your personal scaling, especially if you heal to full before exiting battles. If the game sees that you are leaving fights with full health, then it concludes that the fight was far too easy and will raise the level of the nodes in response.

Suiciding works to a limited degree, but often community scaling will outpace any limited benefits gained from suiciding rosters.

The problem on this event, if you are just starting, is that this is the 6th sub in the event, so scaling has been building for multiple days. The scaling is only going to get worse (short of dev intervention) as there are 5 more days of this event left to go.

Unknown

gobstopper wrote:

If you're looking for transparency you've come to the wrong game

Well, relatively transparent. Even stuff like matchmaking rating and the stacks system make a fair amount of intrinsic sense to me. I can't make heads or tails of this system though. Also, I smiled at the phrase "looking for transparency."

HailMary wrote:

Being utterly lost about scaling is the general state of affairs here.

OBW healing does increase your scaling, because we're fairly certain that the scaling algorithm compares starting health and ending health for each fight. I don't think it factors in completion time. Suiciding (not retreating) several sets of characters in a node seems to have some nonzero effect on scaling. Also, community scaling is a minikitten, and runs the gamut from "seriously not cool" to "Technicolor Russian roulette."

Thanks for the answers. Glad to know I'm not the only one flailing in the water here. Agreed that the community scaling thing doesn't make a lot of sense, both in concept and execution.

Lyrian wrote:

What you are seeing is community scaling. While you were away, D3 implemented a mechanic that changed nodes from being fixed levels to dynamic based upon both your own personal performance as well as those of everyone else playing the same nodes. As the community completes nodes successfully, the levels of all nodes in events rise accordingly until, in theory, no one can complete them.

Healing in battle will raise your personal scaling, especially if you heal to full before exiting battles. If the game sees that you are leaving fights with full health, then it concludes that the fight was far too easy and will raise the level of the nodes in response.

Suiciding works to a limited degree, but often community scaling will outpace any limited benefits gained from suiciding rosters.

The problem on this event, if you are just starting, is that this is the 6th sub in the event, so scaling has been building for multiple days. The scaling is only going to get worse (short of dev intervention) as there are 5 more days of this event left to go.

Thanks for advice. Yeah, it sounds like I'm up the creek for this event if things continue like you say. Guess I could try throwing Yelena and Bagman at the enemy once in a while; sounds like it can't hurt. Is the community scaling per subevent? I suppose I could just bite the rubberbanding bullet and clear the events right when they open. Guess I'd be stuck behind the people who have the ability to grind the event, but I'd rather get some points for the main even than be locked out completely.

Unknown

Bullseye 3 is level 370 for me.

Surprisingly easy other than taking 8000 damage in one round from Symbiotic Snare -> Onslaught combo.

Now, if Daken was part of the mix... well, let's just not think about that.

morgh

Apparently community scaling is global across all the subevents...

Which is such a GREAT idea...

/sarcasm

Unknown

On another note, hitting 170K for progression doesn't look promising right now. We have roughly half of the points but the scaling is really going to stop most people from progressing which means the rubberband will likely be less in the future sub brackets. So unless some random new guys with a level 10 character is moving the rubberband forward 170K looks pretty rough. 150K looks doable though.

daveomite

wharrrgarbl wrote:

Older player returning to the game; this is my first event since December. Taking a moment of silence for my old MVP Thor... His yellow just isn't as impressive these days.

Anyway, I'm not sure on how this scaling works... Do I get harder enemies because I joined the event later? Or is it tied to my ranking? Because right now all my event nodes are deadly halfway through my first run through. Since I'm not grinding, I'm not sure what's triggering the scaling. Am I doing something "wrong" (finishing too quick? Using OBW to heal?). From the comments on this thread, it sounds like the expected thing to do is suicide your characters every now and then? I'd like to run through each subevent at least once, but obviously I'm not going to burn all my health packs on it when there's PvP finishing up.

Sorry for all the questions, I just feel completely lost about a mechanic that sounds intended to be transparent...

welcome back.....rather, welcome to scaling hell that no one can really figure out.

As an example, I did this due to needing to for point, and because I was curious what it would do to levels. In the sub "florida" there is the "Ares" node. When I first started the sub, they were at approx 167 each or so. I had not played the level yet. About an hour ago, I noticed they had increased, now each about 183. I decided to play, and used my 115 5/0/5 HT, 85 3/5/5 OBW and 66 1/0/5 Spidey. I beat the level, but lost OBW in the process.

I played two or three other nodes right after it. Then looked at the Ares node again as I was looking at higher point totals. Tada. It's the node with the highest point total of 490 about, and Ares and Venom are both 208, and Daken 209.

Mind you, I played that node twice total since sub started. First time, bad board and lost my **** quickly when they were in the 175 range. Then played it with spidey/obw/ht about an hour ago, won, then played 3 other nodes. In a matter of maybe 30 minutes, levels increased 20+ for me.

I knew going in the using both obw and spidey on the same team is "stun/heal" overkill, and knew it would most likely affect the scaling of at least that node. I was curious if it would jump up again as when I played/won the node, I was just within the 2 hour, 45 minute mark of the sub ending.

Just in case you or anyone else is curious of the quick scaling reactions of the system depending on your choices, combined with the "community" scaling aspect. I'm currently in 6th in "Florida", and just under 70k overall in top 40 but there are two hours left...plenty of time for even more scaling.

Whoohoo. Yeah...right. lol.

daveomite

Phantron wrote:

Bullseye 3 is level 370 for me.

Surprisingly easy other than taking 8000 damage in one round from Symbiotic Snare -> Onslaught combo.

Now, if Daken was part of the mix... well, let's just not think about that.

I do not, in any way, envy you. Just... wow.

Unknown

Punisher just one-shotted Venom with 10,000 health left. 3/5/5 debate over.

Unknown

Ghast wrote:

Punisher just one-shotted Venom with 10,000 HP left. 3/5/5 debate over.

Quick someone won a match, up the levels by 20 for everyone.

Scaling increased!

I want one complete wipe for every win, balance must be achieved.

Mawtful

I'm not sure I really want to talk about it, since it'll likely only end up jinxing my game... BUT:

I've enjoyed this event so far.
LOVE 8 hour refreshes. Coupled with rolling subs, these let me play a little bit in the morning, a little bit a lunch, a little bit in the afternoon and a few more little bits during the evening and into the night. Concurrent PvP is icing on the top. I can be sure that there's always something worthwhile to invest time in whenever I turn on my phone.

I have been seeing very little scaling. Only one or two nodes have gone as high as HARD so far. I've been using Cap/HT/OBW for all nodes except where Thor is required (he replaces HT). For your consideration, heroes are as follows:

2* Widow 5/5/3 L85
3* Cap'n 2/3/5 ~L80 (I've been putting a bit of the ISO earned in this event back into Cap, he's at L83 currently and started this event a bit lower)
3* Torch 3/1/2 L53 (soft capped)
3* Thor 0/0/1 L15 (soft capped)

I've been doing each node once per refresh, and finishing in the top 10 or top 50 for each sub so far. My standing in my main bracket is still a bit low - I've been hovering around the 21-50 bracket, so I may need to make a concerted effort near the end if I want both of the Falcon covers from the solo rewards. I've had pretty good luck with individual mission rewards, getting 2-3 of the 4 from each.

The Token rewards have not been kind to me - I think I would like a few more 3* Thor covers - but otherwise I am definitely enjoying this.

Unknown

Chimaera wrote:

Ghast wrote:

Punisher just one-shotted Venom with 10,000 HP left. 3/5/5 debate over.

Quick someone won a match, up the levels by 20 for everyone.

Scaling increased!

I want one complete wipe for every win, balance must be achieved.

Yes, this indeed is true as I have done the same, nit sure about the 10K but ~8400 seems about right.

5 Red punisher for nodes running at 350s x 3...

Savage Land node - Bullseye 347, Ares 348, Venom 347 - Combined health between them... 53K!!

Bullseye protect tile basically nullifies every hit to 1... 6 point onslaught will kill any of my toons instant... Rampage is an instant wipe for, I would say, just about any roster.