The Simulator (PvE) - (May 30 - June4)

over_clocked

I'm not sure I got it, so to have optimal points (not a lead, just enough for a good main placement) it was enough to play essentials once (3 in normal, 3 in hard, 6 overall) every 2,5 hours for 5 times or what?
Under the assumption that other people don't try to overcome you or anything?
If there's no such assumption, then it's an astounding amount of missions and I don't think we ever saw anything like that before (starting after the first TaT which I believe was a grindfest).

Unknown

Got a blue CMags and a yellow Patch from my two sub-event tokens.

I guess that's a decent pull.

Unknown

I'm glad everyone that tried hard and played many many hours were able to get to that magneto cover. It would be a really lame if the devs made things impossible to reach, that would be like a... whats that word... .... .......

Unknown

For what it's worth, I pulled #1 in my main bracket hitting every node once per sub, and then farming the essentials when they refreshed (plus 2-3 non-essential node hits at the very end of the last set of subs). My timing wasn't perfect, it slipped a bit here and there, but multi-hitting nodes is quite feasible to schedule around real-life concerns like sleep. Doing stuff for the next 5 hours? Hit the essential nodes twice instead of once. Sleep for 7.5 hours? Hit them 3 times before you go to bed.

I also did not start the subs right when they opened, but waited a while for some rubberband to build up, and then timed my refreshes from there. Scaling was a non-issue, though I can't say how much of that was luck, just that my nodes started weak and stayed weak. Sorry to those who had a rougher experience with scaling; I don't know how to predict when it goes crazy and when it doesn't--I wasn't tanking or deliberately taking extra damage or anything.

(For what it's worth, my roster is maybe in the last stages of the 2*->3* transition. I only have 1x 141 (Thor), but I've got 3x over 100 and 8x 3*s that are 85+.)

Unknown

locked wrote:

I'm not sure I got it, so to have optimal points (not a lead, just enough for a good main placement) it was enough to play essentials once (3 in normal, 3 in hard, 6 overall) every 2,5 hours for 5 times or what?
Under the assumption that other people don't try to overcome you or anything?
If there's no such assumption, then it's an astounding amount of missions and I don't think we ever saw anything like that before (starting after the first TaT which I believe was a grindfest).

You can always stop doing them if you're comfortable with your placement. I was usually around #20 or so at the beginning of a new 2h 24m period, so I certainly could've skipped that refresh. As long as you got all the refreshes toward the end done you should be okay, but missing even one such 2h 24m period at the end can be pretty crippling.

I ended up doing essentials 3 times over a period of 5 hours per 12 hour cycle and I think I got 2 top 5s on the hard bracket. Didn't really bother with normal bracket. My overall ranking sucked because I missed the last refresh on round 2 completely, but pretty sure I could've managed top 20 overall by doing 3X3 essentials every 12 hours plus extra for the last hour.

yogi_

All my tokens were garbage. Every single one. Bleh. Frustrating. Days of play and nothing.

Unknown

Phantron wrote:

I missed roughly 2 of the 2 hour 24 minutes refresh on round 3 and can't possibly catch up to leader because that's the time I can't play at all, and I'm not talking about a small lead either. I'm sitting at #20 in my hard bracket with 26K points, but the #1 has 31K! Someone who is doing this method consistently will have a lead that is greater than doing every mission to 1 very quickly.

You did something wrong, in my estimates the miss can not create that much of a difference.

Did you play the extra games before the missed refresh? If your next play is after 5h you shall play the nodes 2x, if 7.5 then 3x right on.

Unknown

Vairelome wrote:

For what it's worth, I pulled #1 in my main bracket hitting every node once per sub, and then farming the essentials when they refreshed (plus 2-3 non-essential node hits at the very end of the last set of subs). My timing wasn't perfect, it slipped a bit here and there, but multi-hitting nodes is quite feasible to schedule around real-life concerns like sleep. Doing stuff for the next 5 hours? Hit the essential nodes twice instead of once. Sleep for 7.5 hours? Hit them 3 times before you go to bed.

I also did not start the subs right when they opened, but waited a while for some rubberband to build up, and then timed my refreshes from there. Scaling was a non-issue, though I can't say how much of that was luck, just that my nodes started weak and stayed weak. Sorry to those who had a rougher experience with scaling; I don't know how to predict when it goes crazy and when it doesn't--I wasn't tanking or deliberately taking extra damage or anything.

(For what it's worth, my roster is maybe in the last stages of the 2*->3* transition. I only have 1x 141 (Thor), but I've got 3x over 100 and 8x 3*s that are 85+.)

Scaling is less of an issue because you get far more point with this method which means you have a higher score while doing less missions, which means less scaling.

Let's say essentials are 100 points, you do it 3 times for 100, 80, and 60 = 240 points.

But if you hit it at the beginning, one more 2h 24m later, and then one more again you get 300 points. That's 25% more point for doing exactly the same total number of mission. These extra points would either help you build a bigger lead, or do less missions later to help manage your scaling.

However, this places too much importance on hitting the mission at the right time and I don't think this is good for the game at all.

Unknown

Phantron wrote:

Note that while you can sort of cruise for now if people don't know about this strategy and get like #20 or so, provided you don't miss any refresh either. Though as more people find out about it you'd have to end up doing the same thing to compete. This is far worse than anything before because you sure didn't need to play every 2 hours 24 minutes to stay competitive even when there is no rubberbanding.

I played this one like usual - as if it had 12 hour refreshes - and got a comfortable top 20.

If what you think is accurate:
pros: Aside from the last couple hours (ugh), you don't get nearly as screwed for playing on your schedule instead of the refresh schedule
cons: You really have to hit the bricks more to get top 10

That seems like a great trade to me. I have no problem with players having to really put in effort and grind to get 1st place. And if you think (assuming this system stays in place and players get used to it) every bracket is really going to end up with 50 players grinding subs every 2 hours, well, all I can say is god speed you crazy diamonds

Unknown

pasa_ wrote:

Phantron wrote:

I missed roughly 2 of the 2 hour 24 minutes refresh on round 3 and can't possibly catch up to leader because that's the time I can't play at all, and I'm not talking about a small lead either. I'm sitting at #20 in my hard bracket with 26K points, but the #1 has 31K! Someone who is doing this method consistently will have a lead that is greater than doing every mission to 1 very quickly.

You did something wrong, in my estimates the miss can not create that much of a difference.

Did you play the extra games before the missed refresh? If your next play is after 5h you shall play the nodes 2x, if 7.5 then 3x right on.

I played a game and then went to somewhere that I thought I'd be back in 2 hours but instead took 5 hours. This happened with about 8 hours left to go on the event. I think I caught up to #2 in my sub but #1 was still way out of reach (was ahead by more than 1000 when my highest mission is down to 300) and he must have been hitting all the nodes consistently every 2h 24m.

HairyDave

Bacon Pants wrote:

I have been horribly lazy in this event. The grind hasn't been worth it, just playing nodes here and there is much more fun. After day 1 of this event it was pretty clear to me that I wasn't going to be competing for a good score in the main. There are some straight up psychopaths out there grinding every node into dust.

Sounds familiar.

I basically tapped out of this yesterday at about position 350 something once I had enough for the Punisher cover. My leader had at least double my points the last time I checked but I have no idea how high he ended up.

Unknown

locked wrote:

I'm not sure I got it, so to have optimal points (not a lead, just enough for a good main placement) it was enough to play essentials once (3 in normal, 3 in hard, 6 overall) every 2,5 hours for 5 times or what?

For one time

The node has a % value attached. When you play it gets -20. And it gains value back continuously at rate 100/12h. What makes it whole after 2:24. If you play 2x immediately, you get 100+80 and it will be whole after 4:48. With the perfect spacing you get 100+100 and whole at the same moment.
So just plan your play ahead to always have the best value.

The other change from old times is that rubberband seem to apply to the big nodes only, the essentials get it, the first nodes not at all -- I'm not sure about the high value nonessentials. Unless you are the leader that makes those nodes not feasible to play at all.

In the lead certainly you can make more points by playing other nodes too with the same timing.

Unknown

gamar wrote:

Phantron wrote:

Note that while you can sort of cruise for now if people don't know about this strategy and get like #20 or so, provided you don't miss any refresh either. Though as more people find out about it you'd have to end up doing the same thing to compete. This is far worse than anything before because you sure didn't need to play every 2 hours 24 minutes to stay competitive even when there is no rubberbanding.

I played this one like usual - as if it had 12 hour refreshes - and got a comfortable top 20.

From what I can tell,
pros: Aside from the last couple hours (ugh), you don't get nearly as screwed for playing on your schedule instead of the refresh schedule
cons: You really have to hit the bricks more to get top 10

That seems like a great trade to me. I have no problem with players having to really put in effort and grind to get 1st place. And if you think (assuming this system stays in place and players get used to it) every bracket is really going to end up with 50 players grinding subs every 2 hours, well, all I can say is god speed you crazy diamonds

Looking at the placement in my brackets there's only 1 or 2 guys out of 200 that is usually this crazy. Obviously if most people aren't trying to hit missions every 2h 24m then you won't see any difference compared to usual. I don't like arms race mechanics, though, because from what I can see is that if there's way to get an edge people will use it no matter how crazy it sounds. The timing on the last refresh becomes even more critical than before with this system because you can't miss your refreshes that occur during the last cycle. Before you only have to make sure you didn't miss your missions when they refreshed the last time and you can try to arrange that to a favorable time for you. Now it's just one every 2h 24m. I hope they don't do this going forward because it's going to be too stressful on the timing. I much prefer Prodigal Sun where the emphasis is more on quantity of missions completed as opposed to when.

Now this mechanism does alleviate the fact that you no longer need to write down when you last did a mission since it's not like doing a mission 2h instead of 2h 24m later is going to have a significant impact. But the issue with forced refresh time should be addressed by server-based refresh schedule. This system works okay up to the final refresh since prior to then there is enough time for you to make up the lead. But once the final refresh hits you absolutely have to hit the exact same schedule to remain competitive against other guys doing the same. Right now there aren't many who do but I'm sure it'd become common if this system sticks.

Unknown

Phantron wrote:

Scaling is less of an issue because you get far more point with this method which means you have a higher score while doing less missions, which means less scaling.

Let's say essentials are 100 points, you do it 3 times for 100, 80, and 60 = 240 points.

But if you hit it at the beginning, one more 2h 24m later, and then one more again you get 300 points. That's 25% more point for doing exactly the same total number of mission. These extra points would either help you build a bigger lead, or do less missions later to help manage your scaling.

However, this places too much importance on hitting the mission at the right time and I don't think this is good for the game at all.

Sure, I figured out how the new system worked partway through the event and then worked on optimizing from there, such as I could. I certainly *wanted* my scaling to stay low, but I was more concerned about placing well, because I really wanted those BP covers. What was a surprise was that scaling just didn't seem to show up for me at all, and I multi-hit nodes several times to give myself a longer break between refreshes. At the end of the event, every single node in the easy sub was still grey, and the levels in the essential nodes were under 45. In the hard sub, all of the essentials were grey at the end (60ish, I think), and only the Devil Dino node was yellow--maybe around level 102. Considering that scaling ought to accumulate over the event and be worst at the end, these are *ridiculously* favorable numbers, and I have no idea how that happened. I've had several other PvE events where multiple nodes scaled to Deadly; this was the opposite extreme.

wade66

So after placing both here and Cage Match, my BP stands at 2/2/5, and hoping when Cage Match roles around again they cycle the rewards so yellow is top 50, and blue alliance so I don't need to grind obscdnely to get them. Now to get 22k iso to soft cap him.

Unknown

Vairelome wrote:

n the hard sub, all of the essentials were grey at the end (60ish, I think), and only the Devil Dino node was yellow--maybe around level 102. Considering that scaling ought to accumulate over the event and be worst at the end, these are *ridiculously* favorable numbers, and I have no idea how that happened. I've had several other PvE events where multiple nodes scaled to Deadly; this was the opposite extreme.

*cough*

rbdragon

I must say I know there are a lot of people who didn't like this format, but I did. I would rather play each node through once and then just the essentials every couple hours like I did this last sub. Scaling was a non-factor, and I ended up 40th with around 123K. Due to classes and schoolwork and kids and etc etc, I always was frustrated with having to time out everything just perfect or accept the fact that I won't have a shot at a decent spot. Since #3 = #50, there's no need to push so hard once you are comfortable in that top 50.

Unless of course you HAVE to get that last progression reward. I accepted the fact that I wasn't going to get anywhere near the last two. I was stunned when I achieved the 2nd to last one.

Unknown

Vairelome wrote:

At the end of the event, every single node in the easy sub was still grey, and the levels in the essential nodes were under 45. In the hard sub, all of the essentials were grey at the end (60ish, I think), and only the Devil Dino node was yellow--maybe around level 102.

I so much love the fairness in this game -- I played the same way and my essentials went well over 200 and dino approached 300 by the end.

At least we know form Ice that D3 is convinced that scaling is much better now and makes perfect sense too.

Unknown

pasa_ wrote:

Vairelome wrote:

At the end of the event, every single node in the easy sub was still grey, and the levels in the essential nodes were under 45. In the hard sub, all of the essentials were grey at the end (60ish, I think), and only the Devil Dino node was yellow--maybe around level 102.

I so much love the fairness in this game -- I played the same way and my essentials went well over 200 and dino approached 300 by the end.

At least we know form Ice that D3 is convinced that scaling is much better now and makes perfect sense too.

At least when you stunlocked with spidey you had to deliberately set up the stunlock... a couple times in the last round I found myself taking infinite turns with superbuffed cMags almost by accident, which probably didn't help my scaling

Unknown

rbdragon wrote:

Unless of course you HAVE to get that last progression reward. I accepted the fact that I wasn't going to get anywhere near the last two. I was stunned when I achieved the 2nd to last one.

I think we had the crazy grind because people chased that Mags-rainbow. Most points I saw were little over 143k so guess the attempt just failed.