We all want new maps, but let’s discuss on how to make certain maps faster to complete.
What I mean by this is making it so maps follow a style similar to Void Thrashing, where objectives can be optionally beaten as early as you want instead of waiting for the objectives to be available (Looking at YOU Vermillion Problem and Mist Opportunities).
This would make games progress and complete more to your wanted speed rather than waiting for spawning and attack waves.
Like VT however, a problem would be that you or your ally might not want to push for faster mission completion and go for a late game army. Or that they snowball much later and actually want to play the game rather than being carried.
These changes would assume that there is a sufficiently powerful army to speed up the mission safely.
Vermillion Problem
- Every lava wave after the second wave produces up to 3 Xenon crystals if there aren’t already 3 uncollected, not necessarily harvested, crystals.
- Additionally, for each crystal collected and harvested at the spawn point, another Xenon crystal appears if there’s no lava wave currently in progress. An enemy force is deployed to that area as normal.
Mist Opportunities
- Harvesting Bots move and harvest faster per certain amount of unit supply that is very close to the bot, like the Chain of Ascension mission. For example 2 supply makes the bot 1% more efficient. Works for an escort style mission. Hero units count as 10 supply.
Temple of the Past
- Clearing an entire encampment (all buildings) on any of the 3 sides reduces the amount of time needed to complete the mission, maybe 3-4 minutes. Additionally, the Void Thrasher spawn time also decreases to line up with the decrease.
Malwarfare
- Aurana’s transport’s speed to complete a terminal once docked very slowly starts to increase linearly. This speed is reset every time she takes damage.
Oblivion Express
- Train spawn time is reduced slightly if the last train is destroyed before it reaches a certain distance in the map. The distance point would be somewhat deep in the enemy encampment.
Void Launch
- All shuttles launch sooner by 10% per encampment destroyed. The encampment is defined as all buildings and heroic enemies closest to the bay.
Let me know what you think!
11 Likes
I wouldnt complain, but I think some people would perfer if they made it more like you had a choice rather than it happening automatically and forcing you to go faster, like if there was a pad on the floor to stand on if you want it to hurry up.
2 Likes
I wouldnt complain, but I think some people would perfer if they made it more like you had a choice rather than it happening automatically and forcing you to go faster, like if there was a pad on the floor to strand on if you want it to hurry up.
That’s definitely a less complicated solution, but an issue I see with this is either constant pinging by a random ally or by pushing an ally’s idle unit while they’re occupied.
My gut reaction was “NO!” but your well thought out ideas are quite excellent. Personally mist opportunities is the only map i find myself consistently bored on, and i’d rather see more waves spawn/faster encampment rebuilds to keep us busy, perhaps even with an xp increase; but most of your suggestions are in line with powerhouse commanders that really will just wipe the map and be left tapping their foot for half the game. I like it!
Although temple should definitely get larger, more formidable encampments if destroying them has such an effect
1 Like
This sounds reasonable. Same as Evacuation map, can either wait for it to start or activate yourself.
Full-clear requirements to speed things up probably won’t be a good idea. Speedrun times for those categories are getting ridiculously low.
Some could use optimization. I just hope they don’t break the maps lol.
To be honest, I’d prefer they did something else, like new objectives on the same maps, like a map version 1, then version 2.
By that I mean, different objectives for the map, say temple of the past, the first type is the original defensive one, the second is still defensive but you have to gather those templar cristals(bit of recall from starcraft 1) in order to activate the temple.
Whatever that helps in keeping the maps fresh
3 Likes
I have opposite suggestion - no speeding up missions. Maybe even adding some mechanic to make short map longer, or at least eliminate ability to finish map ultra-fast. When player start to get control of the map, enemy gets additional reinforcements + in some case mission objective emboldening in a way (for example - additional void trashers at unusual locations (guarded ofc), some enemy expedition that swiftly reaches some point on map to resurrect sleaver on scythe of amon(ofc players can intercept it and prevent sleaver respawn)). These additional things will manifest when and only if players manage to progress through the mission far faster than “scheduled”.
Ofc all of this will never happen. But cutting these pauses on mist opportunities and maybe few other maps could be useful if making these maps more entertaining in late game is not the goal of development.
1 Like
If you want maps longer, they need an option at the end of the game to continue playing after you win. (Have waves continue to come, maybe sped up somewhat…since the objective is down.
Sometimes it would be nice to get all those upgrades / full biomass/essence/stacks etc. and be able to full clear some waves.
2 Likes
IMO, other maps are fine, some maps do drag on but it does add difficulty in mutations which is a good thing.
But Vermillion Problem do drag on too much which make it annoying.
It would be nice if as soon as last crystal in the field is harvested the larva comes up 3 seconds later to save time.
That does sound like a good idea, and it makes some degree of sense. Trigger the lava (and Amons accompanying waves) when you clear the Crystals. [probably more like 10-15 seconds though… the usual lead time]
For some it is triggering Objectives to come out/ to move
Malwarfare/Mist Opportunities… I like the idea of increasing speed if undamaged… or once you clear the target area you can speed up the arrival
Oblivion Express/Void Launch… some sort of Defensive structure at the entrances/exits, If you destroy it, they will automatically send the next wave [and rebuild the structure]
Temple is a little bit more complicated…I like the “standing on a Pad” that accellerates both the Temple and Amons attack.
Maybe put the pad on the fourth side (across the canyon)
1 Like
Adding a hard mode trigger like they have on WoW would be cool if it gave more exp. If you meet certain conditions more stuff goes on in the mission making it more difficult but you get a 10k exp “hard mode” bonus if you complete it.
1 Like
I dig these! And I hate Mist Opportunities with a passion. Solid ideas, more map interaction is always better imo
I like that there is a balance between maps I can speed run on abathur for example, as well as maps that have a wait period.
What I end up doing is trying to clear the entire map, and I get a big cool army without feeling like I am wasting my time. If the map was a map I could complete fast, clearing bases I’m not supposed to just feels like a complete waste of time.
With that in mind, I don’t like dead of night / temple of the past because I don’t like to play tower defense during my coop matches.
This is a neat concept. You could have a temple of the past that keeps getting harder, kind of like rifts in Diablo.
Its arleady implemented in ME. Would be nice to have an option to trigger objectives faster.
1 Like
Personally, I find Void Thrashing annoying because it’s too short, and the enemy base is hard to destroy with the thrashers in the way, so you are often forced to go into an air build for a full clear. Not what I want in a coop game. As for the others, the challenge is already to full wipe the maps, shortening the timers would make that harder to do, so I’m pretty against most of those changes. I GET that some people want the game to be faster, but I’m in the far opposite camp.
Mist is the longest mission right now, can’t be completed under 30 min in-game time because of the slowness of the science vessel terrazine robot. I agree most likely with a speed up on this mission especially. Most of my game on mist, the hole map is destroyed by 15-17 mins mark and then i’m waiting for the next wave like an idiot.
Temple of the past can be shorten by few minutes in base duration.
Vermillion Problem , I dodge 100% of games on that map.
Edit : confused void lauch with another one