I have just started the 12.1 collector missions and I'm at the point where I need 10 function fragments to get the 12.1.3 mission ticket. I personally think this is too much and it's a huge leap in difficulty from collecting just 1 Override Trace for the 12.1.2 mission ticket.

I understand the items being a grind as they're something to aim for, but for those of us who care more about the story it's not really fair seeing as in the old days you just had to complete the previous mission.

Keep a bit of collecting since it's part of the sequence of events but probably just 1 function fragment is enough. Save the big collections for the big rewards.

I think there should always be a challenge and it seems Rarebit is continually working on improvements to the story quest system.  12.1 is nowhere near as mind-numbing as 11.3 was, imo.  I'm hopeful that 12.2 (whenever the heck it comes out) will be even smoother.

No, the story shouldn't be a grind and it should also be fully accessible and doable by anyone from level 1-50, solo or group.  I still hate this new system with a passion.

Fen wrote:

No, the story shouldn't be a grind and it should also be fully accessible and doable by anyone from level 1-50, solo or group.  I still hate this new system with a passion.

Yup this new system just gets worse with each installment.  That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.  I've lost a couple of good Captains over this farming-crap-endlessly-as-a-substitute-for-content approach, and I have every right to complain about it.

One of the problems from an accessing storyline perspective is this.  You know if you stare unblinking at a picture or something for a long time, your periphial vision gets fuzzy and grey, and the image itself would turn to grey if you could stare even longer if you didn't have to blink?  I sort of get that now with these missions, I have to run them so many times to get the rewards that they just become a blur after a while.  A blur, a chore, a mindless barrage of endless tedium.  Honestly I think I don't care about the story anymore, which is too bad.  It was the original draw for me; now it isn't.  I could care less about bubblegum people.  I hope things change for the better but I'm not getting my hopes up.  Get used to endless, repetitive, mindless farm.

"What is The Farming?"

"The Farming is all around you, Neo."

.....

Fractor wrote:

I have just started the 12.1 collector missions and I'm at the point where I need 10 function fragments to get the 12.1.3 mission ticket. I personally think this is too much and it's a huge leap in difficulty from collecting just 1 Override Trace for the 12.1.2 mission ticket.

I understand the items being a grind as they're something to aim for, but for those of us who care more about the story it's not really fair seeing as in the old days you just had to complete the previous mission.

Keep a bit of collecting since it's part of the sequence of events but probably just 1 function fragment is enough. Save the big collections for the big rewards.

My answer to this specific case is "yes". 10 function fragments is not that much, I got them pretty fast. Plus this part of the quest is strongly story-related - given the absence of the Live Events, the players are meant to fight the new hostiles somehow, and I believe what was done for this part of the quest is the right way. It doesn't mean it can not be improved, it just means the approach itself is alright. IMHO

And I have to state once again that I feel very good about how the 12.1 quest is done as a whole (especially compared to the previous one, 11.3, where only the last part with fighting Danielle Wright was really exciting to me). 

I can't seem to find one positive thing about the New Approach.

Fractor wrote:

I have just started the 12.1 collector missions and I'm at the point where I need 10 function fragments to get the 12.1.3 mission ticket. I personally think this is too much and it's a huge leap in difficulty from collecting just 1 Override Trace for the 12.1.2 mission ticket.

Just to give you a few numbers for your argument:

The Override Trace drops at a 20% rate from level 42 NPCs, who appear mostly one at a time in a single neighborhood.

The Function Fragments drop at a 50% rate from level 53 NPCs, who appear mostly in pairs in a single neighborhood.

Getting the Trace is meant to be a bit of a challenge for a level 40 character (have to find and kill ~5 groups). Getting the Function Fragments is meant to be a bit more of a challenge, and for a level 50 character (have to find and kill ~10 groups).

I don't know about anyone else but I found the old criticals boring, samey, perhaps once in a while an obvious lead up to an LE with little to no advance of the story but most of all extremely short. Thus the story depended on daily LE's to move on.

The new approach allows the story to progress a decent amount whilst giving a challenge and some items to gain. Plus they also give a bigger challenge for some other items (executable mask, cap, headgear / wireframe shades) but it's not necessary to do.

The level requirements are still a drawback, I can see Rarebit's view that lower level characters would find the area itself too much, but I still say that as long as area mission NPC's are scaled to the right level, it's just getting there thats the issue and thats an added challenge. Of course with 12.1 came the spawning lvl 42's and 53's which would prevent lower levels from advancing unless they teamed with others.

Overall I like the current system, I find it much better (apart from the level req's aspect) than a single 5 minute mission every week for 5 weeks.

What would really improve the issue for many is increased LE's rather then changing the current mission system.

That said... I wonder how long it will take before each neighborhood has some type of storyline area spawn?

I for one liked having to jump around looking for more groups to take down. It didn't feel so much like "farming" in the traditional sense as it was taking the time to get a decent fight in across the neighbourhood.

Vinia wrote:

I don't know about anyone else but I found the old criticals boring, samey, perhaps once in a while an obvious lead up to an LE with little to no advance of the story but most of all extremely short. Thus the story depended on daily LE's to move on.

The new approach allows the story to progress a decent amount whilst giving a challenge and some items to gain. Plus they also give a bigger challenge for some other items (executable mask, cap, headgear / wireframe shades) but it's not necessary to do.

The level requirements are still a drawback, I can see Rarebit's view that lower level characters would find the area itself too much, but I still say that as long as area mission NPC's are scaled to the right level, it's just getting there thats the issue and thats an added challenge. Of course with 12.1 came the spawning lvl 42's and 53's which would prevent lower levels from advancing unless they teamed with others.

Overall I like the current system, I find it much better (apart from the level req's aspect) than a single 5 minute mission every week for 5 weeks.

What would really improve the issue for many is increased LE's rather then changing the current mission system.

That said... I wonder how long it will take before each neighborhood has some type of storyline area spawn?

As far as your dislike of the old crits...really?  I have to admit, I loved the old crits.  I took my time, made sure to talk to all of the NPC's, twice in the case of main characters.  I took my time so it took longer than 5 minutes.  I liked them because they gave me something to look forward to every Thursday.  I felt like I was part of a dynamic storyline.  Bottom line, between that and the LE's, I was engaged.  I'm sorry but these quests don't engage me.

Hmm maybe it's just me.  Maybe the players want World of MatrixCraft.

Anyways regardless I think I'll just stop bothering doing these quests, I don't enjoy them.  Besides, how many virtual pants can you get?  I dont have enough room for them anyways...my storgae alt needs a storage alt.

/shrug.  To each his own....I'll be gone from the simulation in due time.  There's just one last thing I need to do this Spring....

cloudwolf wrote:

I for one liked having to jump around looking for more groups to take down. It didn't feel so much like "farming" in the traditional sense as it was taking the time to get a decent fight in across the neighbourhood.

Seconded.

Villemar_MxO wrote:

I felt like I was part of a dynamic storyline.  Bottom line, between that and the LE's, I was engaged.

To be honest, the only part of the story that I was here for that I ever felt was dynamic was the outcome of the hovercraft battle over Lock. I would prefer the story being delivered over the 5/6 week period between updates, but that was done by LE's rather than crits imo. If there were more LE's to deliver the story over the remaining 5 weeks it would be better, but at least self started missions actually move the story along. Plus the fact they are there permanently means that I don't need to rush through them and if I miss anything I can redo it on the same character.

But as you said, to each their own and I respect your opinion on it.

Vinia wrote:

Villemar_MxO wrote:

I felt like I was part of a dynamic storyline.  Bottom line, between that and the LE's, I was engaged.

To be honest, the only part of the story that I ever felt was dynamic was the outcome of the hovercraft battle over Lock. I would prefer the story being delivered over the 5/6 week period between updates, but that was done by LE's rather than crits imo. If there were more LE's to deliver the story over the remaining 5 weeks it would be better, but at least self started missions actually move the story along. Plus the fact they are there permanently means that I don't need to rush through them and if I miss anything I can redo it on the same character.

But as you said, to each their own and I respect your opinion on it.

Cool, I think we're saying pretty much the same thing but from slightly different angles.  The dynamic aspect of it all had been a very strong draw for me.

Vinia wrote:

That said... I wonder how long it will take before each neighborhood has some type of storyline area spawn?

That's why I say these storyline quests have to be archived. And I will stick to this opinion until it's done.