question about TFs

So only having done two TFs I don't know much about them... but from what I've seen it doesn't seem to be any different than doing a "normal" arc with the exception of needing a certain number of people to do them. Is that the case with all of them?

I ask this because having come from WoW I was wondering about the instances there and why we don't see some like it in CoX.

I realize they're different games so if that's your initial thought please keep it to yourself. While WoW may not be popular here, the instances were entertaining for a variety of reasons (the biggest one being that they offered a challenge) and I think seeing similar setups in CoX would be awesome, primarily because all of the things that are wrong with WoW's instances CoX seems to do right. I loved the low lvl ones (in WoW) but honestly there was no reason to ever do them as you would outgrow the rewards in a day's worth of play and there's no reason to play them after you progress past a certain point as you no longer get xp, in CoX with being able to exemp down you still get xp and influence.

* Most Task Forces end with an Archvillain, which [in the low level game] is somewhat unusual. I know we're jaded these days.
* You can't add people to a TF in the middle. Once you start that's the team you're bringing to the end, minus anyone who has to leave for any reason. You could in theory run one over more than one session, but that never worked out so nobody ever did it. My first Manticore TF took eight hours. We started with one controller, who got kicked out after the first mission (due to some old issues with exemplaring) and no defenders. Five hours in, we lost power to the front of the house and the three of us who were all playing in the same room had to run extension cords from the kitchen. Six and a half hours in, Infinity went down for 20 minutes. BUT DAMN IT WE FINISHED IT. That was a bonding experience, right there. I know, these days if you run a TF in over two hours people get whiny, and everyone's done them ten times each and skips everything and takes shortcuts.
* Some Task Forces have unusual maps, unusual challenges and things that are just plain fun. If you haven't done Synapse, tell people to not leak the spoiler. If you haven't run the Hess TF (in Striga), you should. You just should. Also, Eden.

Some of the higher level ones include non stop ambushes(ITF, Barracuda SF). Some have super charged AVs at the end Lord Recluse and his towers anyone. Some even have you square off against 8 plus 3 AVs at once if you arent smart about it. I think we got some challenges your looking for and even more promised for Going Rogue.

A lot of the old TFs aren't that spectacular, and as I mentioned, people have been taking the "spectacular" out of TFs as hard as they can. People want to skip most of Eden, and I'm like "WHAT COULD YOU POSSIBLY BE DOING THAT'S MORE FUN THAN THIS?"

I wish they would lower the number required to start most of the TF's. That way we *could* run them like normal contacts if you happen to have a regularly scheduled team. We ran the Positron and Synapse TF's that way and had a blast. We were resolved to TF our way to 50... only to find out a 4 man team can't do that.

I particularly like the challenge of the task forces and trials when they aren't run for speed but for the experience (points and otherwise). They also sometimes contain unique maps that are fun to explore and the AV's are always (for me anyway) exciting culminating experiences.

Personally, If I see "speedy TF", I avoid it. I do not like doing rush TF's, where you just bulldoze your way to the end regardless of whether everyone is keeping up or how many deaths occur on the way... bleh.

I'd rather have a tight team bulldoze their way through it at a "leisurely" pace (which is still usually a good clip), and get all the goodies along the way (recipes & such) as well as the yummy merits at the end.

That said, some TF's do run better using certain strategies. If you have a good leader in the team, they'll usually give you a quick heads up as to what the plan is. Hami Raids & Ship Raids are a class to themselves, often taking the cooperation of several teams.

There is a strong predilection of TF teams to speed through them, having seen all the surprises, knowing all the tricks, and knowing the story (if they read it) by heart.

Someone new to a Task Force may find this disorientating, as everyone is zipping around, completing missions in 30 seconds, going right to HERE to fight the level boss, etc.

So, if you want to experience some Task Force goodness, I'd suggest two things:

First, if you are joining a Task Force, make it clear you are not familiar with it, then people are less likely to get on your case. Good teammates will give you advice to help out.

Second, and I'll call this the "blunderfun" approach, you lead the task force, making it clear you don't want shortcuts, speed runs, and know NOTHING about it. You want to stumble over your fun, and learn the tricks and the traps the hard way. Make this clear from the start as you recruit. Some folks will be willing to play along, others will not. Alternatively, find a leader who is willing to run one that way.

The TFs designed later (Katie, Hess, STF, ITF, Lady Grey) and the Strike Forces villianside, which were also later, tend to have more interesting content, including more unique maps and foes and sometimes even specific tactics needed. Completing the Statesmans Task Force, for example, is virtually impossible without knowing how to handle certain parts, and I've heard the villianside Khan SF is the same.

To do them in a way that lets you really explore that, though, is tough because 90% of the people on any TF have done it before, a lot, and will zip to the end. As others have suggested, you can avoid that by starting it yourself and recruiting people who want to explore the whole thing. To do that I you might;

1. Try getting it going on Virtue, which has a higher proportion of roleplayers,
2. Recruit on the forums so you can collect a group of like minded people.
3. Get on the global channels for your server to recruit that way.