How does the Citadel TF exist?

So I did a Citadel TF during double XP, because someone told me it was pretty good XP, I hadn't done it in a while, and let's be honest you're not too picky on stuff to do during double XP. It was good XP comparatively, but at about the ninth mission (I'm not certain, I stopped counting) I started wondering: How does this exist? How was this ever made?

I brought this up in a global channel, and it's really incomparable to all the 'dated' old content. Synapse isn't much better, but at least it's trying. The Shadow Shard is filled with nothing, but it looks cool, has cool enemies, and it doesn't hide the fact it's all repeatable missions which, as we've learned, have their place. Old Positron was long, not very interesting and just sort of ended without really changing in tone, but at least it was varied.

Citadel, completely without exaggerating, is the exact same mission, over and over again, until eventually it ends. There is no variety, no variation - it's all the exact same enemies, in the exact same maps. Sometimes they're defeat-alls, sometimes they have (identical) glowies, but otherwise these missions are exactly the same.


Surely, this can't be put down to bad design from back in the days when nobody knew better. Somebody laid this out. Somebody presumably wrote the entire Citadel TF, likely aware that every single mission was functionally identical, and said "yes, this will work. People will want to play this content, which I have deliberately laid out to be against the exact same enemies, in the exact same maps, without any difference or variation whatsoever, for ten missions". I say 'presumably' because the idea that Citadel himself actually procedurally generated this TF without input from any developers to me sounds more likely than somebody consciously making these decisions.

How did this happen? I'm aware that originally TFs were intended to be multi-day affairs, but that doesn't explain it. In fact it makes it worse, because now we have to assume that somebody thought that eight people would be perfectly willing to spend DAYS working through Groundhog Day: The TF. In whose mind, on what planet, was Citadel created, presumably with some level of pride, enough for somebody to be sure that what they're making is enjoyable?

Help me out here, I'm just completely lost.

"It's 4:30 and this is due at 5:00"

defeat all clockwork in the warehouse

<copy/paste>

defeat all clockwork in the warehouse

<copy/paste>

defeat all clockwork in the warehouse

"cool, I'm done"

"You can't turn this in, it's got too many warehouses"

"Oh, okay"

<hastily scribbles out warehouse, adds 'station' in the middle two>

"Perfect!"

I feel your pain.... Id rather do the shadow shard tfs at 50 w/ all the incarante stuff (exept for Dr Q which i wish theyd bump to max of 45 or something if not 50) i cant really stand citidel or synapse unless a friend or someone REEALLLY needs it.

Because it's needed for TFC. Other than that I don't bother.

You forgot the part where you use the same mission door for multiple missions. Good times!

We've been saving Paragon City for eight and a half years. It's time to do it one more time.

I repeat what I said in Goat's thread. I solo'd it last week, and I enjoyed it. ^_^

For a certain value of enjoyment anyway. Given that I do sometimes farm, my tolerance for doing the same thing over and over is fairly high.

But yeah... a unique end map wouldn't have been too much to ask?

Not that any of the old TFs really have a lot going for them....

My favorite part of the TF was when we didn't realize we were fighting the final boss until half way through. Favorite in the sense that it was when we realized we were seconds away from finishing that horrid thing.


I don't exactly recall the chronology, but I'm pretty sure the Katie Hannon Task Force was the first TF added to the game that was actually fairly decent (I miss when everyone was running it constantly!).

We've been saving Paragon City for eight and a half years. It's time to do it one more time.

Its almost like the Citadel TF was written by a robot.

On the other hand, I've opften been on teams running Council radio missions back to back and getting upset when they have to switch enemy types. I think the difference is on Citadel you can't just leave when you've had enough, and the radio missions at least take place on different maps.

It's symbolic. Citadel is a robot and as such is lacking in creativity. His task force is a long series of the same mission in order to highlight his never ending quest to better understand humanity and through us himself. By going through the TF we in turn gain insight into his hopes and desires and can reflect on the nature of creativity and the impact of it on society.

Note how the first two missions require you to kill all the soldiers as do the three of the later ones but the ones in between only require you to defeat the boss. Reflect on what this is saying about human nature. We attempt to temper our excesses and do things in moderation but in the end we always fail and return to our old habits. But there is hope fo in the last mission we only need to defeat the boss and if we can overcome our own nature (represented here by Vandal) then we can truly grow as a species.

[/BS]

Citadel is a robot, they have a thing for doing the same thing over and over again.

That said, both this and Synapse are terrible, terrible things. And they hop from zone to zone like someone with a severe case of teleportitus.

Maybe people who mostly play heroes don't notice it much, but blueside mission lines are terrible about going around the entirety of paragon city rather than staying in one place. Compare this to redside which tends to stay in one zone very nicely.

[NPC] Citadel: Go. Hunt. Kill Council.

As much as I agree, I still have to disagree that Dr. Q is better.

In fact, Dr. Q is not a Task Force at all. It is a witches curse that was placed on a developer when he reneged his promise to provide her with his first born child.

I've never done a TF that left me wanting to do it a second time. Indeed, I'm usually left feeling like I never want to do it again.

i dont mind citadel tf at all. I dont find it not much different then getting on a newspaper mish team that does council after council mish. It's good xp that is for sure. Unlike doing a series of council paper mishes, there is a good completion bonus and it goes towards a useful accolade. And also some merits, if a person is into that. Synapse o nthe other hand is like a gaggle of mission thrown together just for the mere purpose of extending the TF, especially the run back and forth to Posi and the patrol thing that without could eliminate two or three missions right there. Then second to last mish, the hatrdest thing in the TF is defeated which kinds of feel like it should be the end of the TF but then one more mish for the C.Work King which is so easy after babbage that it dont even like an ending of a tf more like a last minute added on mission that has been added on there because it could be added.
I find Dr. Q an enjoyable TF but it's long as heck and lot of traveling. I think there could be some missions that could be trimmed from it and discarded as useless fat but good TF over all. Just find it sad I dont see it run as often though. Most teams I've been on got it down to a length that is not much longer than a synapse or old positron tf but lot more to gain, especially if merits is a goal.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mauk2 Evil_Legacy became one of my favorite posters with two words. "Kick Rocks." I laffed so hard. Never change, E_L!

Mortimer Kal is pretty fun. You get to fight three signature heroes and the missions are all different.

EDIT: Babbage is optional to fight in Synapse. Depending on the team you could skip him. But yea, he is much much stronger than the King himself. But then, a GM would not be possible for some teams.