Roadmap on how to NOT NGE your community

[jnt]

Volge - and they were already supposed to be in the game as part of the first DLC to coincide with the series launch, from what we can piece together. Whether they actually are a challenge, we'll see... But Dark Matter were definitely a challenge first time through, still can be for me. Even 99ers were a change from raiders and mutants. I think the AI engine is capable of a lot more

The leash range combined with AI ends up being a huge a joke if you compare it to the sniper rifle range. Go stand on a hill above a mine or at a distance from ruins in SF. You can shoot npcs from ranges where they reset if they make it to you but dead monsters don't respawn if you reset their friends :P

And why don't any npcs take measures to protect themselves from vehicles? Some roll out of the way sure but I lost count of how many emergencies, etc. I finished without dismounting.

[Schwa]

...that offer no advantages over what you had before, right? Otherwise you break horizontal stagnation. Again, what is my reward? Why do I put more hours into this game, or god forbid, actual money?

Suppose the new DLC offers coldfire weapons in the open world, and the instance for the DLC requires a coldfire weapon on each party member to clear it for yet another type of weapon. That's horizontal progression gating-- if "coldfire" is just another different-but-similar element next to fire, lightning, and radiation.

Your reward is the ability to overcome different challenges, along with strange equipment you can't find in Mount Tam. Challenges that require ever increasing player skill and preparation, rather than bigger and bigger numbers. I'm a huge fan of what they've attempted in Defiance, I just don't think they've gone far enough to justify their decisions-- this seems to be very much a player-skill based game, rather than a "my armor beat that for me" game.

Considering how this is a TPS base, they made a good choice with progression-- but completely dropped the ball with coop difficulty.

[jnt]

and shield generators, and ED-209, and cool outfits, and cool dropships and trucks

Shields are just a little more hp to chew through...npcs don't usually run off to let them recharge :P

[Ogre VonSnipes]

Bump the difficulty of this game 10 fold, add more complex bosses, instanced areas that require coordinated groups of people with IQs that are not below their heart rate and you got a winner.

Some of us are fat guys with extremely high heart rates so this is a poor analogy LOL. You made some good points though

[ironhands]

The leash range combined with AI ends up being a huge a joke if you compare it to the sniper rifle range. Go stand on a hill above a mine or at a distance from ruins in SF. You can shoot npcs from ranges where they reset if they make it to you but dead monsters don't respawn if you reset their friends :P

And why don't any npcs take measures to protect themselves from vehicles? Some roll out of the way sure but I lost count of how many emergencies, etc. I finished without dismounting.

Very true, they should hear the vehicle coming as well, but they don't have any reaction to sound. You'd think a vehicle would cause massive aggro.

Haven't sniped much myself, but we might see some more advanced AI.

Reading these forums really makes me want to do my own game lol, it's infuriating :P

[ironhands]

Some of us are fat guys with extremely high heart rates so this is a poor analogy LOL. You made some good points though

Oveur used "room temperature IQ". I assume he didn't mean metric temperatures.

[ironhands]

Shields are just a little more hp to chew through...npcs don't usually run off to let them recharge :P

I usually just run behind it. I really want their vehicles though.

[jnt]

Very true, they should hear the vehicle coming as well, but they don't have any reaction to sound. You'd think a vehicle would cause massive aggro.

Last time I did a Dark Matter emergency, I actually just did a donut under the dropship and npcs just kept jumping in front of my car. It was a little surreal.

[ironhands]

Last time I did a Dark Matter emergency, I actually just did a donut under the dropship and npcs just kept jumping in front of my car. It was a little surreal.

Maybe they felt guilty?

Vehicles in events are a bit of a concern across the board. Give them full aggro, and possibly enemies with a weapon that does bonus damage against vehicles? Something with a big magnet. Better than just the despawning idea a few have suggested IMO

[AssKicka]

Some of us are fat guys with extremely high heart rates so this is a poor analogy LOL. You made some good points though

True but I did not want to use "room temperature IQ"; could lead to multiple problems in instances where people using the metric system think they "qualify", LOL.