Maps aren't usually made until you enter them. So, what happens if you get a "Kill 100 CoT" on a map that can only possibly spawn 75?
Would these missions scale depending on how many players were on the team? When would it decide that? Could there be any exploits to get around this?
Overall, I agree that some kill alls could be changed to "Kill 95%" or so, and be fine. There are other missions that should probably stay Kill All (such as ones where all one guy needs to do is reset the bombs you left there to complete their mission, and stuff like that). But to assume that just changing it to a count system would automatically end the frustration is a bit naive.
Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
"I was just the one with the most unsolicited sombrero." - Traegus
Question:
When you first enter a mission, it's not certain how many total mobs there will be. Team size and difficulty setting affect the size of the individual spawns, and the spawns don't actually spawn until someone gets close enough. (Thus "painting the map".) And if your team size changes, the un-spawned spawn sizes may change also.
Can the system even calculate a "Kill X%"?
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Question:
When you first enter a mission, it's not certain how many total mobs there will be. Team size and difficulty setting affect the size of the individual spawns, and the spawns don't actually spawn until someone gets close enough. (Thus "painting the map".) And if your team size changes, the un-spawned spawn sizes may change also.
Can the system even calculate a "Kill X%"?
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If it can't calculate "Kill X%" it should be able to calculate and detect "Wipe out X% of spawns" or "Wipe out X # of spawns" (for non-random maps though). We already know that the engine reads each spawn as a unique cluster (wipe out patrols, kill boss and group, etc). All it would require would be creating the completion requirement variable. It would be pretty much the same thing as "kill X%" and probably a great deal easier to program.
Once you enter a Map all of the variables save spawn size are set.
Each map has a unique identifier with a specific number of possible spawn locations given it's size and structure.
The moment the map is set you could have the spawn percentages set. Defeat 85% of the spawns on a map with 100 maximum spawns, for example, would require you to take out every member of 85 different spawn groups. They wouldn't count the group until the last member of it was defeated.
Could work.
-Rachel-
"Defeat x% of spawns" sounds more doable.
I, too, am coming to hate defeat alls. I'm approaching the point where, if the first mission of a MArch arc is a defeat all, I'm likely to just skip it entirely.
I don't mind kill alls so much if the mission map is small or medium. What I really hate is when the mission map is one of the biggest available and its got a kill all requirement.
(Large maps + kill all) != fun
Of course, most of this is dependent upon whether you're running with other people. It's not nearly as bad searching for the last mob whenever you've got 8 people doing it. No matter what group you're in though, a series of 5 large maps that are all kill all is just over the top.
Hi:
I have argued on an on against kill alls because they usually wind up having some weird room with geometry issues, thus turning what would have been a fun time into a miserable search for the toe of the mob and hope we can affect him or wait for the gM to eventually show up as your team falls apart.
Last night I was doing an ITF, and noticed that perhaps this was the solution to the problem above, instead of having 100% as a kill all, replace them with a count, just as it is done in an ITF. We defeat Romulus, Generals and 300 Traitors. The key is 300 traitors. So why not a change a kill all say CoT in a cave to defeat 150 CoT, this way if one or more are geometry messed up, they do not impact the enjoyment of the game.
Hugs
Stormy
Ps: Same could be done with the "Defeat Boss and Guards" which is a modified kill all in an unusual huge room. Change it to say Kill Boss and 20 Companions instead for instance.