My Thoughts on the 1.4 Announcement

[RaneMokeev]

Sounds good.

 

[Oh. daesu]

Sounds good.

PS4ers really are a month behind everyone else.

*ducks

 

[RaneMokeev]

PS4ers really are a month behind everyone else.

*ducks

*throws and misses*

Have you seen the latest SotG? I watched Arekkz's highlight video and, holy crap, my dreams are coming true.

 

[Oh. daesu]

*throws and misses*

Have you seen the latest SotG? I watched Arekkz's highlight video and, holy crap, my dreams are coming true.

I mainly read the write ups.( Me, not much of a fanboy. lol)

Yeah, part way thu watching Arekkz's vid. Worth a share; I reckon. Even has graphs  :15_yum:

The last ubi announce was vague, and not much followed. so this is good to watch.

 

[Oh. daesu]

deletia

 

[DeadSockPuppet]

end game gold items to be buffed. peeps only use the reckless and savage since the others sux compared t

This is one that I like a lot.  Although, I use the one you forgot, vigorous chest.  My main is running 3x AB, 2x FM, and vigorous chest until I get a good 4th AB piece.  I like that I was able to swap overdose for booster shot, I just need to test the new build.  

However, while they're doing exactly what they said they would with 1.4, it would be nice to see them fix some of the 26 open Known Issues they have on the official forum.  Many of them have no work around and are just listed as "Under Investigation" and some date back to almost 4 months ago.  

 

[DeadSockPuppet]

I'm reading through the notes and like this part: 

We’re also removing gear drop weighting, the only activity that will drop guaranteed rewards (as well as more random ones) is Incursions. This will allow you to choose whatever activity you prefer and not force you to take part in content that you don’t like.

Those of us that don't want to get trolled in the DZ can play any of the PvE content and get top end gear and any type, no more 95% LS in HVT.  

I understand that kind of sucks for being able to farm certain activities for certain gear sets, but that system really wasn't working for me so I'm looking forward to seeing what happens with this.  

 

[Oh. daesu]

This is one that I like a lot.  Although, I use the one you forgot, vigorous chest.  My main is running 3x AB, 2x FM, and vigorous chest 

Not sure how i forgot about one. I do remember you talking about your toon with "her vigorous chest" rofl

I'm reading through the notes and like this part: 

Those of us that don't want to get trolled in the DZ can play any of the PvE content and get top end gear and any type, no more 95% LS in HVT.  

I understand that kind of sucks for being able to farm certain activities for certain gear sets, but that system really wasn't working for me so I'm looking forward to seeing what happens with this.  

Yeah, though honestly, i just thought it was too heavily weighed. Scaling it back would have been fine. You could focus on certain activities to speed up your odds, but still have a reasonable chance at other sets if you didn't want to partake. When it is so heavily weighed it really is forcing the players where they don't want to play.

 

[Oh. daesu]

(mainly for those who like to read more than watch)

Time to kill is significantly shorter.

• An example shows, what took 6.0 seconds, only takes 2.1 seconds in 1.4 (non optimized geared )
  
• They realize that npcs were too geared for agents with optimized gear, 1%ers.. which spoils it for the casual players. The change is meant to relate more for non optimized geared players.
  
• The change is to bring the increased difficultly of higher level npcs to a similar up scaling experience during leveling. The current end game up scaling was increasing almost exponentially.
  

World Bracket/Tier Level

• Manhattan, missions, incursions, and DZ will allow players to select a Tier level.
  
• DZ will have Tier levels tho gs restrictions still apply . 
  
• High Tiers become available as you hit higher gs#. Looks like 4 available e.g. Tiers start as T1 gs163 loot with chance of higher.
  
• Hard/Challenge, doesn't relate to the npc levels, but the size of mobs and quantity of loot.
  
• Heroic will only be for incursions. 
  
• Tier level affects the difficulty of npcs and quality of loot
  
• Can invite friends to higher tiers. (Looks like power leveling friends more possible.)
  

Solo players

• The idea is the solo players can choose a higher tier in missions and incursions to increase loot quality, while choosing a Hard mode which decreases the size of mobs, trading off a decrease in quantity of loot
  
• Grouping up will still have the advantage of more loot for time spent than soloing.
  

Manhattan/ Open World PVE

• Manhattan will have a world bracket (tiers), meaning it will now be an open world pve for end game, not just for leveling.
  
• Manhattan will have patrolling mobs and bosses, a la dz with wandering bosses like Bullet King. Think DZ loot for PVE world. 
  
• Manhattan the trash mobs can have random high end drops.
  

NPCs

• lv34 lv35 npcs are gone .
  
• Tho p1.4 lv33 will not be the same as current lv33 we are familiar with. This could mean they are hard in other ways besides damage/sponges.
  
• High end drops nolonger restricted to bosses at the end of missions/ug/htv. Incursions it is still boss-centric drops.
  

Gear

• End game gold items to be buffed. peeps only use the reckless and savage since the others sux compared to set gear.
  
• some comment about no nerfs... *cough*
  

 

[DeadSockPuppet]

Not sure how i forgot about one. I do remember you talking about your toon with "her vigorous chest" rofl

Yes, it was quite vigorous ?

Last weekend, though, I moved around some of my HE between my main and alt and ended up ditching the random LS chest my main had and replaced it with the vigorous chest from the alt.  I also replaced the sturdy holster (which is meh) and he chest on my alt with sentry pieces to give her the headshot bonus with her shottys. 

 

[Big Grumper]

Looks intersting. I might try and dip back into it as I've lost interst lately. Every time I go to play I always find something more intersting to do. 

 

[quinch1199]

Any news on drop weighting so we actually get gear that progresses our characters rather than being stuck with the same gun since level 1 in Underground (G36) as all the HIGHER GS drops are woefully poorer in talents and power, and we're now level 25?

 

[DeadSockPuppet]

Any news on drop weighting so we actually get gear that progresses our characters rather than being stuck with the same gun since level 1 in Underground (G36) as all the HIGHER GS drops are woefully poorer in talents and power, and we're now level 25?

They're updating the game to have difficulty tiers (similar to Diablo):

In Update 1.4, you will gain the ability to choose between World Tiers based on your Gear Score:

• Tier 1 = 0 to 163
  
• Tier 2 = 164-182
  
• Tier 3 = 183-204
  
• Tier 4 = 205-229
  

Depending upon what tier you're in, you will get the following lvl loot:

The rewards in your chosen tier matches the highest Gear Score of that tier, every reward you get brings you a little closer to reaching the highest possible power level of this tier until you unlock the next one and can try yourself against tougher enemies.

• Tier 1 = Gear Score 163 rewards
  
• Tier 2 = Gear Score 182 rewards
  
• Tier 3 = Gear Score 204 rewards
  
• Tier 4 = Gear Score 229 rewards
  

Basically, instead of having 229 top weapons and 268 top gear set pieces, all weapons, HE, and set pieces will cap at 229.  The game will give rewards based on the tier you're in and it will attempt to get you to move into the next tier (until you reach the top tier) by giving you gear betters your character and increases your GS.  I'm guessing that with this new system the max GS for a character will now be 229, whether it's the number reported on your character (looking at all 9 items - 3 weap/6 gear) or the "hidden" DZ GS (looking at 7 items - 1 weap/6 gear).  

This is something that I think will be really cool, that and being able to play whatever events to get any kind of gear and having a small chance that random mobs in PvE and DZ can drop the top gear for your tier.  

 

[DeadSockPuppet]

Looks intersting. I might try and dip back into it as I've lost interst lately. Every time I go to play I always find something more intersting to do. 

I've been wondering what you've been up to.  Chippy, Voyager, and I are probably going to run some anything but DZ this weekend.  I've been tweaking my builds a little and I want to put them through their paces and the guys are getting itchy trigger fingers.  I'm not sure if we'll be on late, late to run with you, but we'll see.  And my wife works all day Saturday, so I might be playing during the day, depending on what projects and crafts the kiddo wants me to make with her.

 

[DeadSockPuppet]

This is worth the read for those of you that haven't watched anything on the 9/15 SotG: 

http://tomclancy-thedivision.ubi.com/game/en-GB/news/detail.aspx?c=tcm:154-267742-16&ct=tcm:148-76770-32

 

[Oh. daesu]

Gear score

Tier 1 = 0 to 163
Tier 2 = 164-182
Tier 3 = 183-204
Tier 4 = 205-229

Top gear score will be 229 .

240 will become 204 and 268 will become 229.

I think 229 gear is buffed to match the old 1.3

 

[DeadSockPuppet]

Gear score

Tier 1 = 0 to 163
Tier 2 = 164-182
Tier 3 = 183-204
Tier 4 = 205-229

Top gear score will be 229 .

240 will become 204 and 268 will become 229.

I think 229 gear is buffed to match the old 1.3

This is the way I understand things changing too and it should be a good boost for the game.  However, I would like to see them address some of the other issues the game has.  I also hope that introducing these big changes don't cause a bunch of new problems.  

 

[Oh. daesu]

This is the way I understand things changing too and it should be a good boost for the game.  However, I would like to see them address some of the other issues the game has.  I also hope that introducing these big changes don't cause a bunch of new problems.  

It is part and parcel there will be issues since these are big changes with significant impact on game play, all done in a short amount of time.

That statement is being more fair than cynical.

Hopefully the PTS avoids the QA issues we had early on.

And the graphs and figures backs up in spades the anecdotal evidence of casual players getting wrecked by optimized players. They had allowed the gap to get out of hand. It gives credence to line "do the devs even play this game". Hopefully they have more of a grip on things.

At the very least, if they do a good job at balancing,  the optimized gitgud players will howl.  All their hard work to earn their wrecking passes will be revoked. Though, going back to a playing field where a casual player with the moves has "a chance" to beat geared out player should be overall better.

I'm happy to grit my teeth for bugs, it sounds like good changes.

Edit; but kudos to them for being so open to these issues. They could have left it and just thought they'd wait for v2. Or juat said they'd rebalance without much explanation or plan. But graphs and figures , :15_yum: nice

 

[RimBlock]

The State of the Game sounded very good but stuff like changing the chance to get all gear sets has been said before with poor results.  Hopefully they will be implementing it better this time.  I liked the better chance for non-bosses dropping good gear as well and the fact there will be named bosses roaming the PvE area again.

I am currently staying away from The Division as I want to be happily surprised at the greatness that turns out to be 1.4 and let the current state fade in to a distant memory.  Kinda busy with other stuff at the moment anyway  :10_wink: .

 

[DeadSockPuppet]

A couple of my friends and I jumped on last night and played as a group for the first time in over a month.  We ran HVT for s couple hours with a random that was around 225 and then did the top weekly HVT.  The random lucked out because the HVT was a 4 boss mission so there was loot galore for him and he ended up around GS 240 in the end.  Not sure what the quality of his stuff was, but we had fun, helped him out and ended up with a new PSN friend.  

He hadn't been on the game since around 1.2, so there was a lot of new stuff for him and he was looking to get back in the swing of things.  It was nice to be able to chat about the meta and then give him our take on what parts of the meta we accept and what things we prefer instead. 

I think instead of spending all of our time on the division like we used to, we'll probably run once a week or so and make sure we jump on for our supply drops, so we're still comfortable with the game when 1.4 drops.