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  1. #1

    My View on Survival

    I posted this on reddit but wanted to share here as well:

    So after being super hyped by the announcement and then playing myself and reading comments on reddit. I felt I needed to share my thought on the new mode and share that im leaning towards the crowd who are somewhat disappointed. However, I want to be a little more balanced in my feedback as I see potential here.

    Overall I believe this DLC is what we have come to expect from “The Division”, not quite polished and missing the mark in some critical ways. As always the idea is good but the implementation appears rushed or limited because of deadlines. So let’s break this up into the good and bad and then I will dive into each with some context:

    The Good:

    I love the atmosphere and the environment Freeze mechanic is cool
    I like the use of consumables to help keep you alive and improve you senses
    I like the fact that I have lost my gear and I need to build up my character again
    I like the use of cosmetics to help you survive
    I like the idea of using the entire map to its full potential
    I like the scavenging aspect and the need to search around to improve

    The Bad

    The lack of incentive to cooperate with each other is a big issue
    The overall objective is way to simple and not dynamic enough for longevity
    It feels to isolated from the rest of the game and progression is disconnected
    It was too easy (completed on my 2nd go I attribute this to its overly basic mechanics)
    No new areas to really explore
    Crafting is used as the mechanic to gate your progress but it is a flawed approach

    Overall the good points I feel are self explanatory and are critical to all the good I see in this mode. The need to scavenge and explore for me as a gamer is a great asset to the mode and I really enjoy that aspect but it’s a great example of where it could have been so much better.

    Why not make it so that instead of simply creating items based on generic components (tools, electronics etc), you layered in some dynamic item acquisition based on logical item you needed to create items to progress through the mode. Instead of 3 electronics to create the mask why not have it so that you need to chase down a mask from a mobile support station or search nearby ambulances.

    Adding on to this and addressing one of my main issue, the simplicity of the modes goal is another issue. There really should be more dynamic objectives each play through that require you to play the mode a little different every time. Layering in other objectives before extraction would be great. For example a set of mission that vary in type from collect and extract X, to clearing landmarks or killing certain targets that improve the challenge and make the mode more dynamic is a must if you want people to play through this more.

    Then there is the lack of incentive to work with each other. I believe that players should have a viable path to working together to improve the experience and take on harder challenges in the mode. Your first thought should not always be lets kill him to get his stuff. Now I use the word improve the experience for a reason as im not talking about time and reward here, I will get to that. Once again given the modes basic objective, it misses an opportunity to incentivize co-op behavior by providing objectives on the map that will require you to work as a team to be able to complete. They do not have to be required to the overall goal of the mode but can be additional challenges that for groups add to the experience and increase the challenge. Adding this would make the mode not only more dynamic but also incentive folks to actually interact and hopefully even in solo sessions team up to go through some additional content. Adding new areas to explore for these goals would have been a welcome addition as well.

    Lastly lets talk time and reward, I do believe that there is a big disconnect from your core characters progression and how that impacts the experience. It is odd that you spend all this time acquiring loot and it has no meaning in this mode and you do this mode to improve gear that is not required to complete it. This is a hard problem to solve as im not sure how you tie the two together effectively. Perhaps your gear has some passive effects on your character in the mode E.G you get some passive buffs based on gear sets or HE item effects you have equipped that you can utilize in the mode. Or your own gear is scattered around the mode to pick up so you can use it and its required to be able to complete certain additional events.

    So to conclude and stop the wall of text, I appreciate what your trying to achieve here Massive I see a lot of potential. But the mode needs some work. It needs more dynamic events, more dynamic objectives and better incentives for both co-op play and progression. I also feel like you need to adjust incentives between PVP and PVE as the dynamics require different risk to reward payouts.

    Thanks for reading AOD_Rammi!
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  2. #2
    Splintrshield's Avatar Member
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    I don't agree 100%, but you have some excellent points. I think there IS some incentive from the get-go to team up, IF you're not in a rush. If you have a buddy to help you take out mobs, or get you up if you go down, you instantly improve your odds of survival. You can both get better gear and consumables faster. Now, I'm a casual-core gamer, so maybe my skills are not as good as yours, but I've been gaming for decades and I didn't survive Survival until maybe my 7th attempt. I didn't think it was too easy, but I do think they could add a degree of complexity, make you look for certain things in certain areas. I think it would be cool if you go to the place where the antivirals are and you have to fight a hunter to get them, and then fight another to extract. Or better yet, you get there and the antivirals are gone and you have to find clues as to where they are now, and then take out the hunter that took them. I like that you have to find Division tech somewhere to craft the flare gun, but I think finding a flare gun and crafting an ISAC brick from pieces in a few places might be better, too.
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  3. #3
    Thanks Splintr.

    I think the more I play the need for a more dynamic environment and objectives becomes more apparent. It just a little to repetitive at least in PVE. PVP is a bit better given the nature of running into player but it could be so much better.
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