What's Being Kept from Ambush/Invasion? (Updated July 4)

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MackBesmirch wrote:

not just because I have to grind low-level maps to get in the high lvl 60s

Wait what? You can easily reach level 80 outside of maps. No need for mapping at all. You can even reach level 72 by just grinding city of sarn.

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Mahesys wrote:

Very disappointed about invasion monster not integrated in the core game, VERY disappointed.

Just because 90% of players can't deal with them because they can't play we've to give up a nice and challenging feature.

Majority wins, as usual, that's so sad

If 90% can't deal with it and 90% quit the game because it's too hard and frustrating for them, then the game ceases to exist.

Majority dictates the game.

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mazul wrote:

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Jihoko wrote:

I play on Invasion, we don't have any Cartographer's boxes, and I can sustain 77-78 maps just fine.

You are not supposed to be able to sustain 77-78 maps without trading. So either you are buying 77-78 maps, you are being very lucky or you have a different definition about what "sustain" means.

Edit: Just saw that you did write that you indeed buy 77-78 maps.

I joined this game about a week or two into Domination.
I joined with a lot of friends.

They have all quit, not to return.

They had no issues with super low drops, difficulty, screwing up builds, having to trade, etc, none of it, but maps and how this content was done. I am also in agreement with them.

There is nothing in a game that makes people quit faster than how these maps are done. I don't care if we're supposed to trade for them, or whatever intent is there, it's wrong. It does not work, is not enjoyable, and was the number one reason everyone I know in RL no longer plays.

You do not bar your players from playing the game.

I get the economy, everything, the reasons, all of them, irrelevant. Player plays game, gets to end-game, no maps, done. I am the only one of my group that still plays, and all I do is farm Dominus at level 88. I will not fucking trade to play the game. I will quit just like all my friends did and move on to other games first.

It's the same with Atziri, and it's having the same effect. You get fed up, and quit. You do not gate content. You let players try, and fail hard sure, but let them fucking try. Always.

Now we have players using bloody metronomes to time the seconds instances take to load... none of this is good. None of it.

Strongboxes and what they do for maps is the best game addition I've seen TO this game, above all else in all my time here. I would care absolutely nothing if the strongboxes did nothing else than give players maps. This is the number one reason they are as someone else in this thread stated 'a home run'. They make players actually want to play. Funny thing, that.

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Kiri2k wrote:

You finally made end game viable for everyone and now you want to nerf cartographer? People is >having fun< on ambush, this is the only feedback Chris, listen to it, don't start to ruin again what you have done. We play 4 months leagues, it's a "short" time, then we just restart again, let people enjoy the game. I think you got enough critics about the whole atziri gated content, don't bring back again map system to that

This quote is exactly on point; people are having FUN. People are playing. People are playing because it's fun.

I was thinking the other day of re-installing Sacred 2, because it was the most FUN arpg I've ever played. Games are not jobs, even long-haul ARPG grindfests. They need to be FUN, too.

I've made on character to the 88. Others drop off around 50, and I am an extreme grinder. This is because I know there is absolutely piss all to do past Dominus in merc. Actually having maps to run constantly would change that. I might even make more characters, provided there is content to actually keep farming. I've probably wasted Dominus into the five-digit area by now, and still from Domination my highest map ever has been 71, Temple. That's from playing since Domination, 985 hours clocked, pretty much all one character. There's nothing I look forward to more, than Cartographers boxes.

"The ambush chests are great fun and will be integrated into the core game. Their spawn rate will probably be reduced slightly,"

I like the ambush chests, but I think their spawn rate should at least be halved if not more. The core game is beautiful and it keeps getting cluttered up by shrines, exiles, chests.... all of these additions are great in small doses but I don't want each area having a shrine, exile, ex ex... after 5 more leagues we wont see any regular content...

I think Invasion bosses added as a map mod would be great, but I don't like the addition of them to regular areas, nor the addition of just regular invaders to the game - it will take away the individuality and theme of each area and place.

This all sounds pretty good to me. I think maybe adding Invasion bosses as a possible map affix could be good. Like "Area contains an Invasion boss", but you wouldn't know which one, or if corrupted zones had a random boss instead of a fixed one it would add to and keep with the theme of a random side area to keep things fresh. Instead of just getting ambushed while trying to do a normal zone you would have the choice of entering a potentially dangerous area.

I would really like to see "Drillneck" and "Rearguard" in all leagues next season. I was so sad when I found out Drillneck was Ambush only.

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Chris wrote:

Unique Items
We generally do not add unique items from challenge leagues to the full pool when the league ends. With Ambush/Invasion we are examining our roster of Unique Quivers, and may allow these to spawn after the leagues end. If this is going to happen, we will let the community know well in advance.

All sounds great except this. It is always disappointing that many of these uniques don't filter back to the main pool. I'm sure plenty of people like me have looked at a list of uniques thinking "that would be great for X character!" or "hey I could totally make an unusual build out of that!" only to find out "nope, can't get that no more." Why spend the time creating and balancing them then?

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Invasion League

The concept of invading Unique monsters will not be integrated into the core game for now.

The concept of invading Unique monsters should be introduced at least in map areas.

Or those invading Unique monsters should be re-balanced to be able to be introduced in the Core game.

Otherwise it implies GGG saying the idea of Inv league has turned out to be a big total fail.

If you're going to decrease the spawn rates of ambush boxes, you gotta increase the likelyhood of them being some of the better ones. I've levelled one character to 76 and I'm at 40 on another and I've seen one arcanist box in this whole time.

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Chris wrote:

Their spawn rate will probably be reduced slightly, and we'll have to rebalance how Cartographers ones work in end-game Maps (currently they're incredibly effective at dropping higher maps - this is an experiment we're currently willing to let run its course).

But map drop rates suck without this. :(

Just a BIG thanks for the continued effort you put in GGG, it simply is amazing!