No, I said you can remove the aegis shield and that mechanic does not change. You still have to spread out to take different turrets/enemies, you could still have the cybernetic bomb to do extra damage or whatever other effect, and the boss could still have multiple health bars. There was nothing listed that does not work just as well without the AEGIS stuff.
The only thing the shield is adding in those scenarios that were listed, is having to grind them up to even be able to do the content.
You may like the system, but that doesn't make it good design, it is a crutch to add game play and extend playtime without actually providing new content or systems. The system in no way empowers the player or makes them feel as they are progressing, it simply catches them up to the content / makes it less annoying.
Okay. And again, that's true of the rest of the game.
You grind out AP/SP to improve abilities. You grind out elites to fight Gatekeeper and get gear to start on Nightmares. Then you grind Nightmares to improve your gear to do stuff faster/more efficiently. You grind out the MEZ for stuff to improve your gear even further. With the addition of gear progression beyond 10.5.5, there's even more of a grind. (Let's not even start on the augment system.)
All of that can be argued as being an artificial way to extend playtime. All of it extremely repetitive, and once you've done them a few times there's not much challenge left to them. (Except maybe Machine Tyrant. Seriously, eff that guy.) It can also be said that all of it just lets players catch up on the content/make it less annoying.
And maybe you don't feel like you're being empowered, or that you're progressing, but I certainly feel the difference between when I first stepped into Kaidan in Issue 9, and now. The first time I stripped an AEGIS shield off a mob with one shot, I giggled like a schoolgirl.
I'm not trying to invalidate your opinion, here, mind. I'm just saying there's more than one opinion on the matter. Yours is just as valid as mine. At the end of the day, though, this is the game and the system that Funcom decided to go with, so we've got to work with what we've been given.
AP/SP grinding actually gives you new things that actually change how you play the game. You learn new skills that allow you to use different tactics and builds to deal with challenges. Yeah, it is still grinding though.
The AEGIS system gives you nothing except the ability to ignore a mechanic as long as you have matched the right color. As for being empowered by AEGIS, go back to any of the content that isn't AEGIS enabled. Do you feel any stronger? Does your time spent doing the AEGIS grind feel useful?
Like I said, you are welcome to enjoy the mechanic, I am not trying to deny you that. Obviously some people enjoy it, otherwise it wouldn't have ever made it into the game.
But from a design stand point, speaking as a professional, it is a bad design. That is not opinion. When you can remove the "mechanic" from your encounter, and the encounter does not change, it is superfluous, bad, and a waste of code and design time.
Well, damn. Just got through the Fear Nothing mission and Spiral.
Kind of kicking myself for spending bullion on a custom ring that I just ended up getting a free one anyway.
But GODDAMN that mission. I'm with Sonnac on this one, I want to burn that building down to ash.
And fuck me, I looked up and saw the bodies on the glass early on... but I was expecting that to just be some sort of glass rooftop and filth bodies on there from the outside. Not... that. Anything but that.
Granted, they might've had the right idea to get out of here before the bomb happened, but they could've... oh, I dunno, just took a field trip to the country. I do swear some bits of this cult sound familiar... like it's come up before. It's been a long time since I've done the early story missions, though.
Also, I totally took way too long running around on the third floor looking for the key.
COME FORTH, AMATERASU! - Switch Friend Code SW-5465-2458-5696 - Twitch
Well, damn. Just got through the Fear Nothing mission and Spiral.
Kind of kicking myself for spending bullion on a custom ring that I just ended up getting a free one anyway.
But GODDAMN that mission. I'm with Sonnac on this one, I want to burn that building down to ash.
And fuck me, I looked up and saw the bodies on the glass early on... but I was expecting that to just be some sort of glass rooftop and filth bodies on there from the outside. Not... that. Anything but that.
Granted, they might've had the right idea to get out of here before the bomb happened, but they could've... oh, I dunno, just took a field trip to the country. I do swear some bits of this cult sound familiar... like it's come up before. It's been a long time since I've done the early story missions, though.
Also, I totally took way too long running around on the third floor looking for the key.
Morning light is an amalgamation of cults we've had in reality...minus the star eating outer gods.
That is a fantastic mission, it's the kind of atmosphere that makes secret world unique in mmo's and why I keep coming back to it.
This last mission of "Last train to cairo" is still a massive pain.
The moving train is a cool concept...but no mmo has ever done platforming well, and filling it with mobs to the brim and 5-6 keycards with backtracking...
Didn't even bring up the fact that if you're unfortunate to die you have 1-2 mins of platforming and shimming along the side of the train to get through.
Just got my dragon character up to kaiden and man the after mission reports are so much more satisfying then the Illuminati equiv. They show an actual understanding of the world you're in as opposed to puzzlement and constant demand to do your job better...not that your illuminati contact has any solid idea what your job happens to be at any given point.
At some point in the distant future I might get around to a Templar character.
Didn't even bring up the fact that if you're unfortunate to die you have 1-2 mins of platforming and shimming along the side of the train to get through.
Just got my dragon character up to kaiden and man the after mission reports are so much more satisfying then the Illuminati equiv. They show an actual understanding of the world you're in as opposed to puzzlement and constant demand to do your job better...not that your illuminati contact has any solid idea what your job happens to be at any given point.
At some point in the distant future I might get around to a Templar character.
One of my favorite things about The Secret World is that while you might be saving the world from horrors beyond imagination no one really ever pats you on the back for it because at the end of the day saving the world is pretty much gofer work for new hires.
I can't remember what faction it was (probably Illuminati), but the gist of what they said to you was "Oh you saved the world huh? You want a cookie? We got teams all over the world saving the world every day. You thought you were special? In the time it took me to explain this the world has probably been saved three times already."
And I know the other factions all have similar "Welcome to the cold hard truth of the world, buddy" speeches of varying degrees of condescension.
edit- And related to that I also really enjoyed that you were not a "chosen one" or a special snowflake. As one of the Stuart sisters put it, "You're a tiny - but perfectly-formed, if I do say so myself - cog in an immense and terrifying machine."
Axen on
A Capellan's favorite sheath for any blade is your back.
Never really disputed that, just wanted a bit of competence and knowledge from the one I'm getting my orders from. Also I don't know if you've played the tokyo missions, especially issue 11 but it makes it pretty clear that you are a special snowflake for getting this far.
I think that a lot of Kirsten Geary acting like she doesn't care about what you're doing and being dismissive of everything is part of her strategy for controlling you. Keep you thinking you're not important, because the initiative you keep taking on your own turns out to be good for business.
In other news, Funcom just announced single-player game called "The Park" that is coming out this October. It seems to take place at the Atlantic Park in the Savage Coast, though it takes place some time before The Secret World.
Have just redone the car park and no fear foundation missions, always manage to get under my skin. Even after a few times through. Looking forward to more of those going forward...hopefully.
Also accidentally brought the wrong QL 10 weapon, managed to get a response and refund within 10 mins. So that's pretty awsome!
This last mission of "Last train to cairo" is still a massive pain.
The moving train is a cool concept...but no mmo has ever done platforming well, and filling it with mobs to the brim and 5-6 keycards with backtracking...
A real mess.
After a few runs it gets pretty easy.
I think there is only one sort neat the end where you really need to backtrack. The rest seem more like turn around and go in the car you just jumped off.
Been cleaning up some blue mountain missions. Need achievement points so I can get the benefaction tonic.
Also, saw a guy with what looked to me like a scarecrow outfit, is that in the FC store?
Also, saw a guy with what looked to me like a scarecrow outfit, is that in the FC store?
I'm assuming you don't mean the Jack-o-lantern headpieces. I can't think of any outfits that look like that off the top of my head- certainly nothing with straw coming out of the sleeves or anything. If you have a screenshot, it'd help.
Man there has to be some kind of mechanic to the second Manufactory boss fight that the community hasn't figured out yet, because the spacing of the AEGIS Restoration cast by the turrets seems pretty arbitrary. Common belief is dealing damage to the Tank = trigger of Restoration but then we go without anyone doing damage and it still happens. Currently the group I'm in is thinking all three turret shields need to be dropped very close to each other, so too much damage discrepancy would trigger the restoration, but we haven't tested this yet.
Just watched the dragon ending of issue 11, also collected a few black signals I missed before that brought up independent bee people:
That dragon ending was really grim, I knew the voice was replaced I guess I just assumed she'd be killed or stand down to a lesser role...wiping her mind of who knows how many years of her life and dumping her on there doorstep...that's cold.
I'm very curious about this independent bee people society John mentions. The Hive. The mere mention of which will apparently cause our handlers to flip out.
Just watched the dragon ending of issue 11, also collected a few black signals I missed before that brought up independent bee people:
That dragon ending was really grim, I knew the voice was replaced I guess I just assumed she'd be killed or stand down to a lesser role...wiping her mind of who knows how many years of her life and dumping her on there doorstep...that's cold.
I'm very curious about this independent bee people society John mentions. The Hive. The mere mention of which will apparently cause our handlers to flip out.
They're not "independent." Far from it. The Hive is more akin to a prison for bees, and the "wardens" sell them to whoever has need of them- such as the Orochi Group.
Just watched the dragon ending of issue 11, also collected a few black signals I missed before that brought up independent bee people:
That dragon ending was really grim, I knew the voice was replaced I guess I just assumed she'd be killed or stand down to a lesser role...wiping her mind of who knows how many years of her life and dumping her on there doorstep...that's cold.
I'm very curious about this independent bee people society John mentions. The Hive. The mere mention of which will apparently cause our handlers to flip out.
They're not "independent." Far from it. The Hive is more akin to a prison for bees, and the "wardens" sell them to whoever has need of them- such as the Orochi Group.
Just watched the dragon ending of issue 11, also collected a few black signals I missed before that brought up independent bee people:
That dragon ending was really grim, I knew the voice was replaced I guess I just assumed she'd be killed or stand down to a lesser role...wiping her mind of who knows how many years of her life and dumping her on there doorstep...that's cold.
I'm very curious about this independent bee people society John mentions. The Hive. The mere mention of which will apparently cause our handlers to flip out.
They're not "independent." Far from it. The Hive is more akin to a prison for bees, and the "wardens" sell them to whoever has need of them- such as the Orochi Group.
That's a shame, is that info in game?
Yeah.
One of the floors, Vali Omega I think, has some terminals you can access that talk about them buying a Bee from the Hive in order to transplant their organs into Orochi drones to see if they can get the Drones to be able to enter Agartha.
We don't really know anything about who runs the Hive or where/what it is exactly, other than it's some kind of prison for Bees.
Managed to get to the last boss of Manufactory, but we decided to call it and take a break since we'd been at it for a few hours, rather than try to beat up the last boss for a few more hours. All the encounters are very interesting, it's just a shame that Boss 2's mechanics are still a bit esoteric.
That the Wardens are the Beekeepers- the same folks that take you prisoner in Issue 6, and introduce us to the "smoke."
Of course, I have nothing to support this theory other than the fact that, as mentioned in that same issue, the Beekeepers have been around a while and know how to keep bees (more or less) under control. There's also nothing to say that all Beekeepers belong to a single group or organization. Perhaps there are several and they just have similar methods of dealing with bees.
I've a feeling whoever is running the Hive is independent from any of the major secret societies, as well as the Council of Venice. The clear implication from John's comment about the Hive is that Bees who don't find themselves aligned with some kind of backer in the Secret World and/or refuse to play by the rules will likely find themselves in the Hive, which also means that it's likely Bees who work for a secret society but then sour their relationship somehow could also end up there. That Orochi was able to buy a prisoner from the Hive doesn't really tell us very much, actually, since we don't know what kind of bargain was made. But it does tell us that the organization, while independent, is also fallible and not a paragon.
Oh I wasn't saying that they are part of any of the secret societies, or the CoV. I was saying they're probably their own group, or loose collection of groups.
That is a massive pain. Dealing with the mitzubachi:
I found that a few times running past and just looking for junction boxes to destroy kept me the most sane...when dealing with the three team I think you can lock out one of them the other two you need to kill just long enough to get a door open and closed again.
When you're tasked to hold out for a few minutes I found it impossible to do without switching to a heal spec and just spam healing myself.
And when you've gotten past that floor...my god prepare for a real grind through mobs...I hope you have two sets of aegis controllers to burn them down.
There's some very cool story stuff though...so keep that in mind and persevere.
If you have your Ultimate charged and ready to go, get all of them together (run through all the side rooms and back into the main area) and then use it on the group. Should kill them all (or get really close), and then you'll have close to 2 minutes of breathing room just waiting as they respawn.
If you have the abilities/gear, definitely consider building a self-healing setup with lots of AoE. Something like a blade build (Grass Cutter/Forking Paths, Clearing the Path, Immortal Spirit, Circulation) would help.
I never actually got through all the hallway parts when I stopped, I think I bailed at the part where two were in the hallways at the same time.
I probably need to go do Tower Defense again and get some more controllers, I've got two demonic ones and one of the others. Actually, shit, I should probably go upgrade my cybernetic one, I think it's ready. Highest one I have is a 1.2 demonic.
COME FORTH, AMATERASU! - Switch Friend Code SW-5465-2458-5696 - Twitch
Maki, talking about that doesn't help people who haven't beaten it yet
PMAvers, you should definitely get a full set of controllers, as well as being sure to upgrade them once the research is done. At least to 1.4. Higher level AEGIS makes everything easier, though of course builds can impact that as well.
It probably doesn't help that I'm using the old Nameless Days weapons from the Mayan event still. They're pretty good, but I'd assume custom weapons are a lot better.
Also, what the deuce are those shipping container keys for?
COME FORTH, AMATERASU! - Switch Friend Code SW-5465-2458-5696 - Twitch
Posts
The only thing the shield is adding in those scenarios that were listed, is having to grind them up to even be able to do the content.
You may like the system, but that doesn't make it good design, it is a crutch to add game play and extend playtime without actually providing new content or systems. The system in no way empowers the player or makes them feel as they are progressing, it simply catches them up to the content / makes it less annoying.
You grind out AP/SP to improve abilities. You grind out elites to fight Gatekeeper and get gear to start on Nightmares. Then you grind Nightmares to improve your gear to do stuff faster/more efficiently. You grind out the MEZ for stuff to improve your gear even further. With the addition of gear progression beyond 10.5.5, there's even more of a grind. (Let's not even start on the augment system.)
All of that can be argued as being an artificial way to extend playtime. All of it extremely repetitive, and once you've done them a few times there's not much challenge left to them. (Except maybe Machine Tyrant. Seriously, eff that guy.) It can also be said that all of it just lets players catch up on the content/make it less annoying.
And maybe you don't feel like you're being empowered, or that you're progressing, but I certainly feel the difference between when I first stepped into Kaidan in Issue 9, and now. The first time I stripped an AEGIS shield off a mob with one shot, I giggled like a schoolgirl.
I'm not trying to invalidate your opinion, here, mind. I'm just saying there's more than one opinion on the matter. Yours is just as valid as mine. At the end of the day, though, this is the game and the system that Funcom decided to go with, so we've got to work with what we've been given.
The AEGIS system gives you nothing except the ability to ignore a mechanic as long as you have matched the right color. As for being empowered by AEGIS, go back to any of the content that isn't AEGIS enabled. Do you feel any stronger? Does your time spent doing the AEGIS grind feel useful?
Like I said, you are welcome to enjoy the mechanic, I am not trying to deny you that. Obviously some people enjoy it, otherwise it wouldn't have ever made it into the game.
But from a design stand point, speaking as a professional, it is a bad design. That is not opinion. When you can remove the "mechanic" from your encounter, and the encounter does not change, it is superfluous, bad, and a waste of code and design time.
So, any week now?
Kind of kicking myself for spending bullion on a custom ring that I just ended up getting a free one anyway.
But GODDAMN that mission. I'm with Sonnac on this one, I want to burn that building down to ash.
And fuck me, I looked up and saw the bodies on the glass early on... but I was expecting that to just be some sort of glass rooftop and filth bodies on there from the outside. Not... that. Anything but that.
Granted, they might've had the right idea to get out of here before the bomb happened, but they could've... oh, I dunno, just took a field trip to the country. I do swear some bits of this cult sound familiar... like it's come up before. It's been a long time since I've done the early story missions, though.
Also, I totally took way too long running around on the third floor looking for the key.
COME FORTH, AMATERASU! - Switch Friend Code SW-5465-2458-5696 - Twitch
Morning light is an amalgamation of cults we've had in reality...minus the star eating outer gods.
That is a fantastic mission, it's the kind of atmosphere that makes secret world unique in mmo's and why I keep coming back to it.
So, the signets that are from the issue vendors, ca' d' oro or whatever, can they only be slotted into the talismans that are sold by them as well?
That is correct.
You don't have to slot the tank signet into the tank talisman, you can mix and match. But yes, limited to the items from the same issue.
The moving train is a cool concept...but no mmo has ever done platforming well, and filling it with mobs to the brim and 5-6 keycards with backtracking...
A real mess.
Just got my dragon character up to kaiden and man the after mission reports are so much more satisfying then the Illuminati equiv. They show an actual understanding of the world you're in as opposed to puzzlement and constant demand to do your job better...not that your illuminati contact has any solid idea what your job happens to be at any given point.
At some point in the distant future I might get around to a Templar character.
Finally got my shield controllers... havn't seen them actually take any damage yet, though. Maybe I'm not fighting the right things.
COME FORTH, AMATERASU! - Switch Friend Code SW-5465-2458-5696 - Twitch
One of my favorite things about The Secret World is that while you might be saving the world from horrors beyond imagination no one really ever pats you on the back for it because at the end of the day saving the world is pretty much gofer work for new hires.
I can't remember what faction it was (probably Illuminati), but the gist of what they said to you was "Oh you saved the world huh? You want a cookie? We got teams all over the world saving the world every day. You thought you were special? In the time it took me to explain this the world has probably been saved three times already."
And I know the other factions all have similar "Welcome to the cold hard truth of the world, buddy" speeches of varying degrees of condescension.
edit- And related to that I also really enjoyed that you were not a "chosen one" or a special snowflake. As one of the Stuart sisters put it, "You're a tiny - but perfectly-formed, if I do say so myself - cog in an immense and terrifying machine."
In other news, Funcom just announced single-player game called "The Park" that is coming out this October. It seems to take place at the Atlantic Park in the Savage Coast, though it takes place some time before The Secret World.
Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
Also accidentally brought the wrong QL 10 weapon, managed to get a response and refund within 10 mins. So that's pretty awsome!
After a few runs it gets pretty easy.
I think there is only one sort neat the end where you really need to backtrack. The rest seem more like turn around and go in the car you just jumped off.
Been cleaning up some blue mountain missions. Need achievement points so I can get the benefaction tonic.
Also, saw a guy with what looked to me like a scarecrow outfit, is that in the FC store?
Only mobs in Issue 10 onwards deal AEGIS damage, so if you're running around the original Kaidan area none of those will damage it.
You basically have to go beyond the containment walls.
I'm assuming you don't mean the Jack-o-lantern headpieces. I can't think of any outfits that look like that off the top of my head- certainly nothing with straw coming out of the sleeves or anything. If you have a screenshot, it'd help.
Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
Basically, it looked like clothes that would go on a scarecrow, not so much that it made the character look like a scarecrow
I'm not sure on the outfit.
Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
I'm very curious about this independent bee people society John mentions. The Hive. The mere mention of which will apparently cause our handlers to flip out.
That's a shame, is that info in game?
Yeah.
We don't really know anything about who runs the Hive or where/what it is exactly, other than it's some kind of prison for Bees.
Managed to get to the last boss of Manufactory, but we decided to call it and take a break since we'd been at it for a few hours, rather than try to beat up the last boss for a few more hours. All the encounters are very interesting, it's just a shame that Boss 2's mechanics are still a bit esoteric.
Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
Disturbing stuff, they've given themselves plenty of interesting story hooks to pursue.
The hive:
Of course, I have nothing to support this theory other than the fact that, as mentioned in that same issue, the Beekeepers have been around a while and know how to keep bees (more or less) under control. There's also nothing to say that all Beekeepers belong to a single group or organization. Perhaps there are several and they just have similar methods of dealing with bees.
Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
What... I mean... what is happening what.
EDIT: WHAT.
EDIT 2: Confrontations and Revelations feels... like a massive pain in the butt. Don't think I'm going to get through this tonight.
COME FORTH, AMATERASU! - Switch Friend Code SW-5465-2458-5696 - Twitch
When you're tasked to hold out for a few minutes I found it impossible to do without switching to a heal spec and just spam healing myself.
And when you've gotten past that floor...my god prepare for a real grind through mobs...I hope you have two sets of aegis controllers to burn them down.
There's some very cool story stuff though...so keep that in mind and persevere.
If you have the abilities/gear, definitely consider building a self-healing setup with lots of AoE. Something like a blade build (Grass Cutter/Forking Paths, Clearing the Path, Immortal Spirit, Circulation) would help.
I never actually got through all the hallway parts when I stopped, I think I bailed at the part where two were in the hallways at the same time.
I probably need to go do Tower Defense again and get some more controllers, I've got two demonic ones and one of the others. Actually, shit, I should probably go upgrade my cybernetic one, I think it's ready. Highest one I have is a 1.2 demonic.
COME FORTH, AMATERASU! - Switch Friend Code SW-5465-2458-5696 - Twitch
My cybernetic controller was already at 1.7 or 1.8 by the time the Tower hit, so the Mitsubachi's shields were no problem for me.
PMAvers, you should definitely get a full set of controllers, as well as being sure to upgrade them once the research is done. At least to 1.4. Higher level AEGIS makes everything easier, though of course builds can impact that as well.
Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
Also, what the deuce are those shipping container keys for?
COME FORTH, AMATERASU! - Switch Friend Code SW-5465-2458-5696 - Twitch