SKYSCRAPER: What are you expecting from this new game mode and more importantly what does it need to be/deliver to be a success?
All we have so far is the data mined leaks about a Resistance like game mode set in a skyscraper with changing levels similar to how the levels in the Underground worked. If this is accurate will that be enough for you to consider Skyscraper a win for the game?
How important is Skyscraper being a win to you? Are you still going to hang around regardless of how good or poorly Skyscraper is or is ti a do or die situation fro you?
Like many I desperately miss the many hours of Division 1 enjoyment that could be found in each of its 3 Game Modes: The Underground, Survival and Last Stand. The WONY expansion reinvigorated the game but once that was done burnout came quickly. For months I've been awaiting Skyscraper with hopes that it would provide a reason to play this game. It's been 5 years since the first DIVISION game and i still log into it every week at least once to run survival. I gain no rewards from it (I have everything you could get/want in that game), so its all about the enjoyment, the fun of the game mode. Once it became clear that game modes were not on the agenda for DIVISION 2 I lost hope of ever seeing a proper Survival-esque game mode in DIVISION 2. When word of Skyscraper was leaked there was hope again for the future. Even though Skyscraper sounds more like Resistance then anything else the fact its happening plus the devs saying they are working on game modes (plural not singular) means that skyscraper is just the start or at least we hope it is.
With the PTS just around the corner we soon will find out exactly what Skyscraper is. How important is Skyscraper to you and what does it need to deliver in order to be a success?
What i expect: you will get a random selection of rooms that will have a random faction for each block, a block will end with a boss fight against a named enemy that will probably will be similar to a bounty boss that will have some random bonus (health boost, special ammo generator, division skills and so on). Rogue or hunters might still show up like any other activity. Can't tell how long each block is and how many rooms are in a block, for example underground had three "main" objective rooms (destroy supplies, save hostage, kill target) but i think it will follow similar pattern, and can't tell if each floor will be a block or you need to beat 5 floors to be a block and that if 5 floors will also coincide with the checkpoints.
Those above are what i consider safe expectations and pretty much what you need for a replayable game mode (bunch of random rooms loselly connected together with a random faction), what i would like to see added are stuff like floor variations, such as one floor has some amount of fire so some cover and paths are blocked, or flooded with a bunch of eletric wires making pudles of non lethal but annoying puddles as well a random locations, so you could get more variation per room, some minor puzzles and collectables to open extra room with loot and if possible with bigger odds for the exclusive skyscrapper gear
For it to be a real success for me I think it would have to be Underground+ but set in a Skyscraper. More variety of locations (Underground's own array was quite good, but because I played it so much they became very repetitive), a greater array of missions/goals beyond kill, repair, marry find the lost JTF, and to have its own array of unlocks (cosmetics, exotic weapon & armour piece, maybe a gear set).
What I expect is for it to be what I fear it will be. I fear it will be a Resistance+, I'm worried that it will be Underground without the variety and purpose given by the missions, and I feel trepidition at the thought of it being a procedural difficulty based thing (start easy, each area ramps up the difficulty) because I find that sort of thing really frustrating. I like to start on a difficulty I choose and end on it, that way I can tailor my experience to how I feel on that day. Its what I do with missions in TD2; if I want a power trip I'll play on Hard, if I'm toodling through as usual then Challenging and if I feel spicey then I'll whack on Heroic.
I'm trying to keep an open mind about it but from what little we've heard so far makes me feel a little concerned.
Skyscraper - What Are You Expecting/What Must Massive Deliver For This to Succeed
I'm not expecting anything.
In order for the new game mode to succeed I believe Massive need to deliver a polished product without endless bugs, it also needs to be enjoyable and fun to keep players wanting to go back for more.
I think some exclusive gear, some apparel for all the fashion victims in the game and maybe a named weapon or 2 would also go down well. I believe there is a new exclusive exotic tied to Skyscraper which is a nice touch.
If all this criteria is met I think the DLC will be received well by the player base and will subsequently be a success.
Difficulty slider beyond story-normal-hard-challenge-heroic-legendary. There has been so much "balancing", simply dust off the prior settings and call it a new difficulty. AI behavior scaling, aggression included. Difficulty scaled to 2-3-4 and so on. No F's given if it turns out you are not as good as you thought you were. Patches added to beef up the scaling, not back track.
Periodic chance to spawn rogues, hunters. Underground like or replace a level or ambush- hunter joins the fight.... EMP, screen effect and game on.
Faction mix like Resistance. Harder levels = more BTSU, good time to let the the sewer rats out into the open(think Bunker- first area fighters).
Varied mission objectives. Timed, capture, rescue and infinite scaling without respawn.
Shotguns, pistols get their own setting. CQC, cover. Why not?
A little more effort - build npc with "low level" gear....you know, the kind of stuff Agents are wearing. Skills, shields, npc eclipse, glass cannon. What is the point of burn, disrupt mods in the game anyways? This might need a setting of it's own like "special ammunition"
Cosmetic like Banshee for level 40 Underground. Re hire the Div 1 apparel team and let them work. While your at it, is the Div 1 mask guy available? I understand the game models heads have weird limitations but ....... the gorilla half skull with respirator......how did that pass muster to be "reward"? That Div 1 team could have a real impact on "shallow and superficial transmog" players(of which I am one)......can I pay you to bring over my Div 1 apparel? No masks, just the apparel. Please.
I expect a AAA effort by a "AAA" company. Effort to integrate this because none of this is "new", it has been in the game in one form or another.