Brainstorm Ideas For "Major Anachronism" Missions.

[jabrazelle]

Or a time-based mission. Get in, fix it, get out before the rift collapses. Every wrong kill cuts the timer by a set time? I dunno, just blarping ideas here.

This could be an awesome mechanic to add to the missions. I get frustrated when an accidental kill instantly ends the mission.  This would keep you in the mission but still have real consequences for killing the wrong thing.

Also, you could put mob spawners in the missions to add extra difficulty.

[jabrazelle]

I just got pwned by the new mechanic in the most clever way.  A worm was pushing another mob with it that I couldn't see so I reflected tons of damage onto myself in two shots.  Maybe mobs should be able to move through one another?

[sforcier]

I'm a new player, and my expectation was that I'd get more than one chance before failing. That's the only input I have on the direct question.

Additionally, I have some suggestions that are related to this mission type and the new player experience, but which don't directly answer the question of "how to fix the mission type". I'm hoping it's more appropriate for them to be here rather than a separate thread.

1) Don't give this mission type until the player's passed "the honeymoon phase".

I was able to complete the boss tower and silent assassins (the only other types I've seen so far... that's how new I am) on the first or second pass at my preferred difficulty. I've tried at least ten times and I have yet to beat a "Fix it" mission. I've tried the beta version a couple times as well, to no avail. I've only completed three other mission so far (so I'm still tier 1), it seems too soon for such a hard mission type. This is exacerbated by...

2) Even if it's only early on, make sure you don't stick the user with all of the same type of mission.

I read a post where x4000 said (roughly) if you don't like a mission type, don't do it. I agree, but I got stuck with a cluster of "fix its" early on. So now I have to grind, just to pass the time. To add insult to injury, I find my first "Secret Mission" and I'm really psyched about the sheer discovery of something new, and... dang if it's a "fix it" mission. Then I find another secret mission and it's a "fix it" mission. I'll tell you I got pretty frustrated.

I did finally get another stealth and boss tower, but I'm still at tier 1 cause they weren't official missions.

Edit: I finally beat a "fix it" (v1.0005). But it still took half a dozen more attempts. They're just hard for me I guess.

[khadgar]

Here's my take on both the current and any new "sort out the time jumble" missions. Given that they are supposed to be more "puzzley" than other missions, why not tone down the combat aspect of them? In khadgar-land

Minor Anachronism -- "You must usher the monsters back to their own time," the mission sign informs you. You enter the mission, and are informed that the jumbleometer is at 50% jumbley. You shoot a seize spell at the sea worm invading the lava flats, and they it freezes in place. The jumbleometer drops to 41%. Good work! You see a fire bat heading towards you. You always hated those things. SEIZE! The bat explodes violently, and the jumbleometer rises to 68% Oh crap, you'd better be more careful in which monsters you warp out of the time jumble!

Major Anachronism -- "Stop the time jumble from getting worse by defeating the invading monsters!," the mission sign informs you. You enter the mission in the lava flats. This terrain is unlike anything you've seen before. It's half lava flats, half abandoned town! An urban crawler rolls into the lava, unfazed, and begins shooting at a utahraptor. It handily defeats the utahraptor, and the message log informs you that the jumbleometer is at 15% and rising. You dispatch the urban crawler, hoping for a reduction in the jumbleometer, but it doesn't happen. Looks like you have to defeat all the invading monsters before the local monsters are entirely wiped out.