Is PTS Week 3 too easy solo in challenge mode ?.

[RimBlock]

If you read the internets concerning The Division then there is a good chance that over the last week or so you have come across at least a reference to a video SkillUp has made saying that the game on the PTS (Public Test Server) in Week 3 is far too easy.

I wanted to start a thread to get others opinions rather than just bogging down the PTS Week 3 thread.

I will link in the YouTube vids later today when home so you can all watch for yourself.

Anyway, the story, as I know it, so far...

SkillUp posted a video with him doing the Underground solo and explaining in his opinion that is was far too easy and too much loot was being dropped.

To test this he (check out his full video for details);

• Created a new character
  
• Opened the new character loot caches you get given in Wk3 PTS
  
• Sorted out his gear and did some calibrating
  
• Ran the Underground with each phase taking 10 minutes and him barely going below 1.5 health bars
  
• He could kill the end level boss with just 22 bullets
  
• IIRC he had 4 piece Predators Mark and 2 piece LoneStar.
  

I did a test with a new character on the PTS and found challenging content to be not so hard in the Underground but pretty difficult in other missions although it was possible (with a number of deaths) for me.  I was using 4 piece Strikers, two random other pieces and built for average across the 3 stats.  I didn't use a Marksman rifle which could have helped significantly.

Yesterday MarcoStyle released a video explaining why he thought SkillUp may have found it too easy.  His conclusions were;

• Skillups 4 piece was arguably the strongest in the game.
  
• Lonestar 2 piece is also very strong.
  
• The tuning and re-calibration was from many hours game play and data analysis SkillUp has done.
  
• SkillUp has a lot of experience in the game, more than most casual players would have.
  

Moving on to this morning, SkillUp has responded to MarcoStyles video with another video not using any matched gearsets, running Underground quite easily and doing WarrenGate solo on challenging.

Things to note that I got from that video were;

• Skillup heavily put stats on to health (over 300k toughness) inc 50% damage mitigation.
  
• He also put some other constraints on himself including no cover, no headshots and a number of others I don't recall at this moment.
  
• Skillup admitted he dies in Warrengate a number of times and it was difficult until he learned how to avoid those difficulties.
  
•  He also admitted he had to use headshots for the heavies as he could not realistically take them down otherwise.
  
• On the boss fight he sent down to half the last health bar a number of times.
  
• He still felt that is was too easy because of the restrictions cancelling out the fact he was dying.
  

Personally I felt that video was pretty flimsy as a justification for his position.

It should be made clear that I personally enjoy watching both these guys videos and agree with the vast majority most the time.  They have both been talking to each other and this is not about one upmanship between them but more of an adult dialogue and it is great to see.

One solution that seems to be going around in the community is for everything to remain the same and then put Heroic back in as a team only difficulty with the same quality but greater number of loot drops.

I will update more / clarify details when home tonight.

What are peoples thoughts.

Videos;

Too much loot, too easy (SkillUp)

Marcostyles video has been taken down which is pretty disappointing.  Update: He has removed it and now said he agrees.

Reply to MarcoStyle (SkillUp)

I think I will record a vid and post it up and 

 

[DeadSockPuppet]

I've been following both of them on Twitter and aside for the community discussing predictions for when 1.4 will drop (my guess 11/1 or more likely 11/8), these videos have been the talk of the town.  

As a casual, when one of these gentlemen say something is too easy, I give a listen because that probably means it will be with my skill level and patience tolerance.  I'll try the hardest difficulty level on a game (sometimes) as long as I don't repeatedly get wrecked right out of the gate.  I don't mind a challenge but I also don't play a ton so I'd like my time to have some reward.  

Ultimatley, I'm very curious to see where this all ends up.  I think there will be more changes to 1.4, a 4th week of PTS, and then more changes before 1.4 is released.  So, once again I'll just toss out the reminder everyone keeps giving, they're still tweaking and testing, make your concerns known, don't freak out yet because this isn't the final iteration of 1.4.  

Oh, and I didn't vote on the PTS because I'm on PS4, but I think potato and banana will be the winners.  

 

[quinch1199]

Feedback I found and received was that Wk 3 was far too easy but Wk 2 was "about right" for a group co-operative game. 

Looking at the notes on Wk 4 indicates they're aiming to move some things back to Wk 2 whilst fixing some minor bugs causing damage and damage mitigation to be miscalculated in Wk 3. 

Seems all good on the surface to me! 

I'd imagine 1.4 will hit before the end of October however. I'm pretty sure the internal schedule for Survivor to be released is before December. 

 

[RimBlock]

Yep they are making it harder again.  TBH I thought Wk 2 was ok and found Wk 3 harder but I was using my Live Agent on Wk 2 and a new Agent on Wk 3 for the most part.

What I have also noticed is that my LVOA-C is not seeming to register all hits, the Strikers 4 piece talent is not proping most of the time and I seem to be getting a 1sec delay some times between firing and the bad guy just dropping dead with no health bar damage displayed.  I think there is significant lag for me but as I am in Asia and there is unlikely to be anywhere near the number of PTS servers globally as there are Live servers, I guess it is to be expected to an extent.  Taht is probably making my life quite a bit tougher on the PTS  :12_slight_smile: .

 

[DeadSockPuppet]

I'd imagine 1.4 will hit before the end of October however. I'm pretty sure the internal schedule for Survivor to be released is before December.

I'm still thinking early November 1.4 and Survival Nov/Dec.

Short Schedule:

10/13-10/17 - PTS wk 4

10/18-10/24 - Finalize 1.4, send to MS/Sony for approval, MS/Sony approve 1.4

10/25 - 1.4 out on all platforms   

Long Schedule:

10/13-10/24 - PTS wk 4

10/25-11/7 - Finalize 1.4, send to MS/Sony for approval, MS/Sony approve 1.4

11/8 - 1.4 out on all platforms  

I'm not sure that wk 4 and the finalize/approval steps will 3.5 weeks, but I think the short schedule is pretty ambitious.

I also think Survival will be out 1 month later, so Thanksgiving for XB1/PC and Xmas for PS4 if things run on the quicker timetable and 1st wk of December for XB1/PC and 1st wk of January PS4 if they run long.  

While I hope I'm being way to conservative on the guesses, I'd rather assume things will be later this year and early next year and possibly have them early than the other way around.

 

[quinch1199]

I'm still thinking early November 1.4 and Survival Nov/Dec.

Short Schedule:

10/13-10/17 - PTS wk 4

10/18-10/24 - Finalize 1.4, send to MS/Sony for approval, MS/Sony approve 1.4

10/25 - 1.4 out on all platforms   

Long Schedule:

10/13-10/24 - PTS wk 4

10/25-11/7 - Finalize 1.4, send to MS/Sony for approval, MS/Sony approve 1.4

11/8 - 1.4 out on all platforms  

I'm not sure that wk 4 and the finalize/approval steps will 3.5 weeks, but I think the short schedule is pretty ambitious.

I also think Survival will be out 1 month later, so Thanksgiving for XB1/PC and Xmas for PS4 if things run on the quicker timetable and 1st wk of December for XB1/PC and 1st wk of January PS4 if they run long.  

While I hope I'm being way to conservative on the guesses, I'd rather assume things will be later this year and early next year and possibly have them early than the other way around.

Its conjecture but releasing a DLC patch in December ... fiscally is a REALLY poor idea. People buy full games in December and whilst the DLC is already purchased by a majority of players who are libel to be interested through season pass purchase if Ubisoft want to have ANY impact on dragging in new customers at all for buying the DLC as a stand alone (which has to be still approx 10-20% of player base) then a release in December will kill that idea. 

Its like releasing the sequal to a relatively popular but more art-house film during the Summer blockbuster period! 

EDIT - That said, it is very possible Ubisoft & Massive are just concentrating on customer RETENTION and good will with a longer term view that Wildlands is due Q1 2017 and to attempt to rebuild customer focus towards on-selling of that product based on a more positive final build of The Division.

 

[DeadSockPuppet]

Its conjecture but releasing a DLC patch in December ... fiscally is a REALLY poor idea. People buy full games in December and whilst the DLC is already purchased by a majority of players who are libel to be interested through season pass purchase if Ubisoft want to have ANY impact on dragging in new customers at all for buying the DLC as a stand alone (which has to be still approx 10-20% of player base) then a release in December will kill that idea. 

I completely agree with this, so I wouldn't be surprised if either way that they wait until January to release for PS4.  There is the possibility that they drop Survival at the same time as 1.4 for XB1/PC, but I think they'll need time to make the necessary changes for Survival to work with 1.4.  

However, if they can drop them together, they can possibly get 1.4  & Survival end of October and then out on PS4 after Thanksgiving.  I think that would be way too ambitious for Massive to try and achieve.