There’s basically no community for any of the other modes, like this morning on a Sunday US west I screencapped zero groups in party finder (well, there was one for campaign actually lol). There’s huge confirmation bias here on how prevalent havoc is, I don’t even think it has 200 players across the globe right now.
I think all of the extra modes should just be confined there instead of making search queue hell like expeditions (the first version of the map had 32 seperate search queues - 8 grid points and 4 difficulties).
But the timer is the point, so I’d rather keep it and the extra time zone and add an endless zone, while adding more time to the regular map and more time on refreshes too. I think you’re underestimating how much extra time you’d be able to add if they made those changes, instead of 5 for regular/10 for the low rad extra time zone (or 3 if its the high rad zone) minutes for hitting up a sanctuary with an extremely rare chance to see a rad stimm, you’d get 10 if you finished everything and grabbed most remnants, with the option to buy an extra 5 because the rad stimm would always be there. With a 20 minute timer on the start of the game. There would be plenty of time, without punishing the team for fighting because they’d get time back for finishing stuff and looting. You have to hang out in one zone for an eternity to use up 15 minutes, I can usually solo clear most of them on auric in 12 (and faster if I cheese when the bots are dead).
I don’t disagree that they shouldn’t overhaul and try and endless one, maybe keep it along with the 30m zone one, but there’s already a 30m zone to disregard the timer as it is. They should just let you ‘choose your own adventure’ and not be rushed out if you don’t choose that, I agree that the timer stresses most people out too much and they don’t wanna play it because of it. But they did provide us one solution as it is.
That’s also why I think if they did that, they’d be able to force more proximity play by cranking up the resistance factor even more. They should be swapping in Moebian 21st and stuff late when resistance gets high, you should see radio operators appear to call even more resistance, they could do a lot with that I think and the game mode would be more fun. It should roll up to a high enough tempo where even having Masozi hovering overhead doesn’t keep the numbers down (though they should definitely nerf that OP item if its going to last the entire game).
Navigation could also be improved by just tossing that auspex jazz besides the abundant puzzles and keeping everything on the navigation bar 24/7. Makes no sense that you have to mark something on the auspex to see it, especially after Masozi says she marked the stuff for you when you start a round (though I know that’s referring to the procedural shuffling of assets instead). Not quite on the level of playing with a map mod, but something way better than the current of people marking different things on the auspex and them disappearing. Terrible interface.
I also don’t think remnants need to have value for the rest of the game, replaying it has been the point for forever and I don’t want to be forced to game some currency here or deal with some other grinding nonsense. They already killed VS for VT2 on arrival for me with that nonsense. Its not like I care the havoc rank shyte as is (I have a mod that only displays your class icon over your head, your havoc rank your true level hell your operative name are all irrelevant to me).
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